Our Yellow Umbrella
by MsGodric
Summary: 'If anyone asked Tracy McConnell, she would say it was a cross between timing, luck and fate that she met Ted Mosby last night at the train station.' Ted Mosby has been searching for 8 years for his future Mrs Mosby. He found Robin, Victoria, Stella, and even Jeanette, but none of them were right. But after meeting a girl one night on a train station, his life changes forever. T/T
1. Telephone calls and speculation

A/N: This is going to be a multi-chap story, starting from, as you will see, the day after Robin and Barney's wedding. It will alternate between Tracy's perspective and Ted's, and flashbacks into their previous lives will occur. This is going to be my take based on the glimpses we have seen into Tracy and Ted's life, and will stick to the canon story featured in the series.

Chapter 1: Telephone calls and speculation

If anyone asked Tracy McConnell, she would say it was a cross between timing, luck and fate that she met Ted Mosby last night at the train station.

There were three points for the 'timing'.

1. Tracy had just broken up with Louis, who had offered her a _big _ring, the night before, and she wouldn't have spoken to Ted the way she did if she was still dating Louis. She most definetely would not have gave him her number, nor would she have flirted with him. Well, she didn't exactly flirt, more like a cross between flirting/teasing/arguing, but it was good.

2. The second 'timing' was that she had finally let Max go. It had been something she had been trying to do for years, but she had never had the courage or strength to do so. She knew she had to move on, and letting Max go was the way to do that.

3. The third 'timing' was that the earliest train that Ted was planning on catching was 45 minutes late, and therefore, if it had been on time, she would have arrived at the train station once Ted was long gone. It was that point that lead her onto the whole 'luck and fate' thing.

Was it luck that Ted's train had been delayed? Maybe. Or was it fate that he was still waiting, sitting on that bench? Perhaps. Or was it fate and luck together, the luck bit being that the train was late, but the fate bit being that he had come over to speak to her?

And then of course, there was the whole 'umbrella thing'. She had bought that yellow umbrella years ago, when she was dating Max, and then lost it at a party on St Patrick's day. And Ted had just happened to stroll along, see a umbrella, and take it for himself.

Then of course, he had left it as her apartment after going on a date with Cindy, her now lesbian roomate.

And then last night, she happened to be holding her yellow umbrella.

Overall, she wasn't entirely sure of what made him walk up to her that night. She had speculated in her head that perhaps he had noticed the yellow umbrella, and thought of it as his own, but then she remembered that he didn't talk about the umbrella until further into their conversation. No, that couldn't have been it.

She knew he was the best-man, and also had an idea that he had discovered it was her who bought him that old glass of scotch, but he didn't mention that either. Instead, he complimented her on her performance at the reception, and noted that she was Cindy's roomate. Of course, as Cindy said, Ted had fallen for her without even meeting her, and she wondered whether that was why he had come to talk to her; because he liked her.

The thought scared her slightly, but she shook it off, and remembered what else had been said. She had told him that she had taken one of his classes, Econ-305, which had been the class he had turned up to by mistake. Then, he had seen her umbrella, and declared that it was his, which began the flirting/miniture arguing session, which had finished with her feeling weak at the knees.

She barely knew him, but they boarded the train together, and spoke a bit more, and it had ended with her giving him her number. Which of course, as a single lady, she was allowed to do. She wasn't dating Louis anymore, she wasn't dating anyone anymore, so she could do this if she wanted to, right?

Tracy sighed, shaking her head away from her thoughts. Her head was hurting due to the over-thinking of whether or not she did the right thing. Was it too soon? Yes. Perhaps. No?

"Urghh!" She yelled, flopping back, so she was laying comfortably across her couch. Why was this so hard? Oh yeah Trace, maybe because the night before you met Ted, which was last night, you said no to your boyfriend's proposal, thus ending your relationship.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid," she muttered to herself. Had she been over-friendly with Ted? Truth be told, she did like him. A bit. Maybe a bit more than a bit. But still, it was too soon, wasn't it? She knew from the way he had smiled as he said goodbye that he felt something. She could still remember his voice... Well, that wasn't hard, she had only spoke to him the night before.

As she lay, now face down into her couch, she heard the soft buzzing of her cell-phone. Without raising her head, her left hand began searching her coffee table, until she found it, and raised it to her ear.

"Hello?" She croaked.

"Hey, it's Ted."

She jumped up, her eyes widening. "Oh hi," she squeaked. Wasn't he supposed to wait four days before calling? That was what most guys did. Or was it three days?

"Hi, umm, listen, do you want to have dinner tomorrow night?"

Her heart stopped. She liked him, right? She was single, so therefore she was allowed to go on a date. With Ted.

"Yes," She answered, her fingers played with a stray thread.

"Great..It was clear I meant with me, right?"

Tracy laughed, a smile appearing on her face. "Yes," she said, trying not to laugh loudly down the phone.

"Same answer? Solid," he said, and she could hear the pride in his voice.

"Yes same answer," she said softly, before pausing. "Wait, tomorrow is Tuesday, right?" Damn.

"Yes, Tuesday does come after Monday I believe." She could hear footsteps, and wondered what he was doing.

She rolled her eyes. "No, I'm not stupid! I'm sorry, but I don't think I can actually see you tomorrow... if it's Tuesday, then I can't; I'm meeting my sister tomorrow night." She felt bad, especially since he had gathered the courage to call her. After one day.

"Oh no, that's fine, what about Wednesday?"

"Yes, I can do Wednesday," she exclaimed.

"Good good! Well, how about I pick you up at 8?"

"Yes, sounds good, I live 317 West 115th Apartment 7A."

"Right, well see you then?"

"Yes."

"Bye."

"Bye," she whispered, before hanging up.

The next night, she went round to her sister's house, Louis, at around 5. Louise lived in a fairly big house about 10 minutes into the countryside, with her husband Jason and her two children, Ryan age 5, and Ella age 2. Louise was four years older than Tracy, and was very different.

Whereas Tracy was into Star Wars and science and history and _obviously _music, Louise was more into sports and football and hockey. All of the times Tracy was round her sisters, some sort of 'big-game' was on.

That night, it was Ice-Hockey. A friendly (though obviously not friendly) match between America and Canada. There was always tension, as Jason was Canadian, and whoever won left one person in a horrible mood.

As they all sat around eating pizza and drinking wine, waiting for the game to begin, Louise asked Tracy how the wedding went.

"Oh, it was okay I suppose," Tracy asnwered.

"Just okay?" Louise asked, raising an eyebrow. "You were staying at a beach house, it must have been better than okay!"

Tracy bit her lip. "I, um, didn't exactly stay there the whole time," she replied.

"What?"

"I, well, me and Louis broke up."

"Why?!"

"He proposed and well.. I spoke to Max. I, I wanted to know if it was okay for me to.. to move on," tears formed in her eyes, and she quickly brushed them away. "I felt a strong breeze, and I took it as a yes, that I could move on."

Louise gently touched her arm.

"Then why did you break up?"

"B-because if I am going to move on and find someone else, I want them to be perfect, I want them to be right. I'm not going to settle for someone who isn't right for me, Lou."

Louise nodded. "Well, good on you for moving on, now you can get out there and find him."

Tracy blushed slightly. "On the night of the wedding...I met a guy."

Jason smirked. "Already?"

Louise shot him a look. "How'd you meet him?"

"At the train station. He was the best-man, and also was the professor that accidently turned up at my class all that time ago.. remember? The one who went on a date with Cindy, and had apparently 'fallen for me' without even meeting me."

"What, did he just come up to you?"

"Well, yes. Basically. We talked and it was really nice, and there's _something _there. I can feel it... he rang me up last night and asked me out for dinner for tomorrow... it's not too soon is it?"

Louise shrugged. "Maybe. But it's not about whether or not it's to soon after Louis, but more like is it too soon for you to start dating.. are you ready to start again?"

Tracy sighed, and took a sip from her glass. "I don't know.. he is nice.. I'll see how I feel about it on the date tomorrow."

"Yes, and you don't have to explain yourself to him if you don't want to date him, do what's best for you and- OH IT'S STARTING!"

For the rest of the night, Ted wasn't mentioned, but he was most definitely on Tracy's mind.


	2. The One?

A/N: Thanks for the reviews! This chapter is in Ted's perspective. The next one will be Tracy's, as I wanted it to be in her pov for their date. This includes a flashback :) Hope you like it!

Chapter 2: The One?

"So, you looking forward to your date?"

Ted looked up to see Marshall smirking at him, as he raised his beer to his lips. It was Wedneday, the day of his big date. He had spent the entire day before planning everything; what he was going to wear, what he was going to say, how he was going to say it, how he would greet her, everything. Everytime he thought of the date, his heart would start racing, and he would get little butterflies in his stomach. It was a weird sensation, but a nice one at the same time.

Ted gave a nervous chuckle. "Yeah, I'm picking her up at 8," he said, glancing down at his watch for the hundreth time. It still read _6:27. _

"You'll be fine, you really hit it off, right?"

"Yeah, I think we did. It was really...meant to be. The whole umbrella thing.. it's like I was _meant _to find it that night, y'know? She said something like, _"it's funny how you find things",_ and part of me, part me thinks she was talking about _finding me._" He sighed, shaking his head. She could have been, right?

"Well, maybe she was.. I don't think it's just a coincidence," Lily told him, placing a hand on his. "All that stuff you told us.. I think you two are meant to be together."

"I don't know.. I've only met her once, but I, I do _really _like her." Ted sipped his drink, as he tapped his foot on the floor.

"She is really nice.." Lily trailed off.

"Yeah, so don't mess it up!" Marshall interrupted, arching an eyebrow. "_Don't _tell her that you love her, _don't _seem too needy, and _don't _act like a complete fool!"

"First of all, I told Robin that I thought I was in love with her, not that I actually was!"

"It's the same thing!" Marshall said, brushing it of with a wave of his hand.

"I know," Ted replied glumly. "And I won't. I won't mess this up, I _can't _mess this up."

Lily nodded. "I'm glad to hear that. Just please don't say anything stupid!"

"Thanks for having so much faith in me guys, I really appreciate this!" Ted said sarcastically. He had made _that _mistake once, and he was not going to make it again.

"No probs Dude," Marshall exclaimed, taking a swig of his drink.

Ted sighed, leaning back into the sofa, and folded his arms across his chest.

Tonight it was his big first date with Tracy. To say he was nervous was an understatement. He was crapping himself. He could not believe how nervous he was. He hadn't been this nervous about his first date with Robin, but for his first date with Tracy, this was a biggie. He knew it was there. He had liked her before he had even known her. He remembered when he had pointed out all of her items when he was in Cindy's room, each and every one. He especially loved the bass guitar. She was a very skilled player, and he could listen to her gentle music anytime in the world, and not get bored with it.

"So, where are you taking her?" Lily asked, snapping Ted out of his thoughts.

Where was he taking her again? Oh, right.

"Oh, um there's some new Scottish-Mexican fusion place?"

Lily frowned. "Scottish-Mexican fusion?"

Ted nodded. "Yeah, I thought I might give it a go.. see how it is..?"

Marshall looked at Lily in awe. "Lily, we have to try this before we go to Rome! I mean, it's Scottish-Mexian fusion Lily, we have t-"

"THEODORE EVELYN MOSBY, SEE WHAT YOU HAVE DONE!" Lily shouted, glaring at him, before turning to glare at Marshall. "We are not, nor will we ever, go to some Scottish-Mexican Fusion, whatever the damn hell that is!"

Marshall mumbled something that Ted couldn't hear, but Lily obviously did.

"Why? Because I will not be seen in some stupid place!"

"Thanks for making me feel _so _much better, Lil," Ted muttered, drinking the remainder of his beer, and placing the bottle on the table. Stupid. Right, stupid.

"Sorry Ted, this girl might like it, back I am certainly not going there," she told him, shooting a warning look in Marshall.

"I suppose. Damn, why can'tI have just taken her out to a place I know, a place that I've been before?" He started to regret making his reservation.

"I think it's because you want a fresh start.. because you don't want things to end up the same as other dates and relationships, and that taking her to a restaurant that you have never been to before is your way of starting something fresh."

Ted looked at Lily and nodded. "Yeah, I suppose."

They sat in silence for a while, and Ted's thoughts drifted to the night they met. He smiled at the thought of him having her umbrella, and by the time he had gotten to the part where they had boarded the train, he was completely lost in his thoughts.

_Ted picked up Tracy's bass guitar as he stepped onto the train. She smiled at him, and put her umbrella down, before stepping on after him. _

_The rain was still heavy, and it thundered onto the train roof. The old lady that had been sitting beside him shot him a smug look, and he grinned back at her goofily._

_He sat down next to window, and placed Tracy's bass guitar under his seat, making sure it was secure. He looked up, and her eyes found his. She made her way over to him._

_Tracy plopped down next to him, and he caught a strong whiff of her hair.. roses? Yes. Roses. And vanilla? _

_"So, did Barney say he had met you?" Ted asked, trying to distract himself from the beautiful smell of her hair._

_Tracy laughed. "Yes. About 6 months ago, he tried to hit on me, but I told him that I knew he truly loved someone else and that he should go after her instead of wasting time on random women. It was quite obvious really, if I don't say so myself, I am a good judge of character."_

_Ted nodded approvingly. "Wow. That means you brought two people together. I am very impressed."_

_Tracy smiled. "Yes, that was a good thought; I made that wedding happen! Twice actually," she added, as an after thought._

_"Twice?" Ted said, confused._

_"The bride tried to runaway; she ran straight into me and knocked me over, but I calmed her down, and boom! Saved the wedding." She smirked at him._

_"Wow," Ted said, impressed. "You doidmy job better than I could."_

_She grinned. "Yes, I was quite happy with myself this weekend... Except, I did get bit by the maid of honor on my way here.." she trailed off, and noticed Ted's eyes widen. Maid of honor? Lily?!_

_"_Lily _bit you!" He said, shocked._

_"Yes.. She asked me to stop her from looking at photos of her son, so when I didn't let her see any photographs, like she asked, she got a bit, a bit _fiesty._" _

_"Oh my God," he muttered, his head falling into his hands. Lily had bit her. Bit her! He couldn't believe it._

_"Yes.. Then I gave a lift to her husband." Husband? Marshall!_

_"Oh my God."_

_"Hey, keep your head up!" She told him, nudging him until his head was out of his hands. "I didn't mind, well _I did _mind being bitten, but I helped her out and that was okay."_

_"I suppose," he told her, sighing. "I just feel very sorry for you to have met all my friends on the craziest parts of their lives.. well, they are crazy everyday, but not like that."_

_"It was my pleasure," she told him, and she sounded as if she meant it._

_Ted looked at her in the eye and smiled._

_"Lily's having a baby," he told her, happily._

_"See! No wonder she was freaking out!" Tracy exclaimed loudly, and a passenger that had been sleeping in the chair behind them woke up, and shot her a dirty look. She mumbled sorry, and shifted in her seat._

_"Yeah, her son Marvin's going to have a little brother or sister.. If it's a boy, they better not name it Luke! I called dibbs!"_

_Tracy laughed quietly, still eyeing the passenger behind her. "If I ever have a son, I have always wanted to call him Luke. Not sure about a daughter... maybe Penelope after my Mother, or Grace after my Grandmother." She yawned heavily, and rested her head back against her seat._

_Ted stared at her. He could almost imagine little Luke and Penelope running around, playing together. Brown hair and brown eyes. Rose scented hair, and little guitar players._

_He looked towards Tracy, and saw she had her eyes closed, and was gently humming a tune._

_Was this her? Was this 'the one'?_

Ted jumped as his watch made a small alarming noise, and looked towards it. It read 7:00.

"Guys, I have to go," he told them. "I need to get back to mine first, and then I have to go and pick Tracy up." This was it.

"Okay, well have fun," Lily told him, standing up and giving him a quick hug.

"Yeah mate, win this!" Marshall told him, slapping him on the back.

Ted took a deep breath, and made his way towards the door.

This was it.

This was the date that could very well change everything.

This had to go well.


	3. Something Special

A/N: As this is the date, it will feature a lot from the actual episode. I have tried to make it as real as possible, adding in how Tracy felt at each particular moment. As you know, this is not mine, I own nothing. I am simply playing with the characters.. Thanks!

Chapter 3: Something Special

Tracy took a deep breath as she shut her door. It was 5 to 8, and she was ready. She was wearing a pretty little dress that she had bought earlier that day, and was holding her jean jacket in her arms. After taking a deep breath, she wandered down the hall, and down the stairs.

She reached the door to her apartment building, and pulled it open. The air greeted her, brushing against her skin. It wasn't too cold out, but she knew it would most likely get chilly as the evening wore on.

She stood outside her building for a few minutes, looking around for the sight of Ted. Not many people walked by, most at home with their families, having a quiet night in.

Finally, she saw his figure making his way through the crowd. He was wearing a grey jumper, that had blue stripes on it, and he looked fairly smart.

"Hi," he said, as he got closer to her. His voice sent gentle shivers through her body.

"Hi!" She replied.

He reached her, and they embraced in a slightly awkward yet nice hug. He seemed very hugable, and she cursed inside her head as the drew back. Hugable? Seriously Tracy, get a grip!

His brown eyes were looking deeply into her own, and she felt slightly shy. She hadn't felt that way in a long time, not even when Louis had looked at her. The last time she had felt a look that powerful was when she was dating Max. He would look at her like she was the only girl on Earth, and that was how Ted was looking at her. Like there was no one else even remotely important.

After a few seconds of silence, he spoke up. "So, I thought we'd try this new restaurant around the corner from here; it's Scottish-Mexican fusion." Scottish-Mexican fusion? Is there even such a thing as that?

She arched her eyebrows. "Scottish-Mexican fusion?"

"Scottish-Mexican fusion," he repeated, a slight twinkle in his eyes.

"Those seem like two things that _do not _fuse," she said, with a laugh.

"I'll think you'll change your mind when you try their signature Hagison Chillidas," he said, somewhat seriously, and she laughed again.

"Okay, lead the way."

He gestured for her to walk with him, and she did, smiling shyly.

"Come on," he said, barely audible.

"I was surprised when you called," she said, looking up at him as they walked. She remembered how she had sounded when she answered the phone, and tried to shake that memory away. She had sounded dreadul, much like a zombie who had just awoken from a slumber. Wait, did zombies even sleep?

They slowed down, and judging the look he gave her, she continued with what she had been saying."Isn't there some universal guy rule where you have to wait four days to call a girl?"

He looked away. "That does not ring a bell.." he said, looking as if in deep thought.

She continued to look at him, sensing he was going to say something else. She had been sure there was some guy rule Cindy had told her about.

"And it's three days," he added. He laughed nervously, and she laughed. They hadn't even been out five minutes, and she had already laughed too much. He probably thought she had some laughing problem.

"Here we are," he told her, and her eyes landed on the place they were set to eat. There was loud live music, music that was _not _her taste, and she looked at him questioningly, a smirk playing on her lips. _"Not here?" _She thought.

"Uhh, I did not realize there would be live music.."

"So, uhh, should we..?" She trailed off, and he finished for her.

"Eat anywhere but here?"

"Yeah," she agreed.

"Right."

"Besides, I'm sure we can find a place where we don't need reservations.."

"Oh yeah, you think it's just that easy?" He asked her. "Just stroll in off the street and get a meal? Well let me tell you the tale of Gary Blauman.."

Before she knew what was happening, she was transported to a day 3 days previously, where Gary Blauman, some guy she had never heard of, had turned up at Robin and Barney's wedding, despite not having a reservation. She listened as he described in great detail how everyone had different views on him, and were arguing over whether or not he deserved to stay for the wedding. It was interesting, and she found that she loved the way he told his story with so much detail and enthusiasm. She was deeply immersed in his story, and listened intently. At some-point, she had pulled on her jacket, but she was so interested in what he was saying that she didn't remember doing it.

"So, finally, we decided to take it to the groom," he said, and she laughed. However, she stopped suddenly in shock as she saw Louis a few feet away. Was that really him? Yes. It was. She knew that face anywhere. She gasped in shock, grabbed Ted's hand, and pulled him down behind a van, breathing heavily. This could not be happening. Out of all the places he could be, he had to be the one place she was walking with her date? Seriously?

"Woh, woh, woh, what's going on?" Ted asked, as she poked her head out from the side. Louis was walking their way, on the phone. "Please stop, please stop," she thought.

She crouched down, holding tightly onto Ted's arm, shielding herself from Louis' view.

"Who's that guy?" Ted asked, his voice a whisper.

"My ex-boyfriend," she said catiously, still on the look out. Louis was still very near, and was on the phone. If she strained, she could hear his voice.

"So, we're crouching behind a van, hiding from your ex-boyfriend..Forgive me, I'm a little bit of the detective."

If it hadn't been for the circumstances, she probably would have laughed. Detective. Wow.

"So, there was a bad-break up?" He asked, and she nodded glumly.

"Pretty bad," she muttered grimly, shaking slightly at the thought of it.

"Bad like there ws a big fight?" He asked, looking at her intently.

"Bad like there was big ring," she corrected.

"Bad like this happened in the past year?" He asked, and she could see him desperately hoping his statement was correct.

"Bad like it happened Saturday," she murmured.

"So bad," he muttered awkwardly. They stood for for a few seconds.

"Yeah." she slowly walked around, and poked her head out. "Oh good, he's gone." She breathed a sigh of relief.

Her eyes met his.

"This is too soon, isn't it?" She thought. "I left Louis on Saturday, not a year ago!" She didn't want to believe it, but she knew it was true. It was too soon. It hadn't even been a week, and she was already going on a date with some guy? Well, Ted wasn't just _some guy,_ and she did like him. A lot. He wasn't a rebound. But it was too soon. She knew what she had to do.

"I'm so sorry Ted, I really like you," she said sadly, and she knew he understood what was happening. "But, I'm, I'm in the _weirdest _place on Earth right now." It was true. If she hadn't just broken up someone, it might have been different. If she hadn't had just been _proposed _to, there might have been something more. But she wasn't anywhere else. She had just broken up with someone who had proposed to her. That was the way it was.

"You're at a Scottish-Mexican restaurant?" He asked seriously, and she laughed.

"Yeah," she looked at the street, then back at him. "Yeah. I am. It's just...too soon for me to be dating. I think I should head home."

She said the words with deep regret, and watched as his face feel slightly. Seeing Louis had reminded her that she hadn't broken up with him a year ago, but 4 days ago. 4 days.

"Well.. Want me to walk with you?" He asked. "Lots of scary ex-boyfriends in this neighbourhood."

She smiled. "Sure." She paused, and thought of something to cheer him up. "I do wanna hear the rest of that story." Truth be told, she _did _want to hear the rest of the story.

His face lit up. "Right! Right, the story!"

"Yeah."

"Well, we decided to..Take it to the groom."

As she listened, she discovered that Barney was against Blauman staying, and that Gary had decided to leave, as he felt un-wanted (Barney had told him that he would be kicked by a karate actor unless he left). She also discovered that everyone had agreed to let him stay in the end, but it may have been too late. She smiled inwardly and outwardly, and tried not to feel too guilty.

"So we all ran out to the parking lot, to stop Gary Blauman from leaving the wedding.."

As he spoke, she realized with a pang that they had reached her building. She stopped, upset that they had finally reached the part where they went their seperate ways, were they said goodbye. Where she went and laid in bed, depressed, and ate a whole tub of Ben and Jerry's ice cream. They had reached _that _part.

Ted looked at her, confused at why she had stopped. "What are you doing?" He was unaware where they were.

She glanced towards the door, and then back to him. "This is my place."

He looked at it, and seemed to recognise it. "Oh.. so, er uh, I suppose this is where I leave you."

They both stared at eachother, no one making any sign of movement. She didn't want him to go.

"This is your place," he said, after a moment of silence.

"Yup," she smirked, glancing at it once again. She really didn't want to say goodbye.

"Are you sure it's not a few blocks that way?" He asked, pointing behind him. It was cute, and she wanted to say, "Oh right, of course it is!" but it wasn't. She was home.

"No..It's right here," she murmured, pointing to it. "It's right where you picked me up."

"So it is," he addressed, looking at it with a weird look on his face.

"Well, goodnight," he said.

"Goodnight," she said, trying to sound cheerful, but it came out slightly fake.

He turned and walked away. She watched him, and then walked up the stairs. As she walked, she suddenly felt a strange breeze brush her. It caused her to stop. It was soft, but familiar to the strong breeze she had felt on Saturday night; it was Max's breeze. She felt as if it were a sign, telling her that it wasn't too soon, that Ted, that Ted was important.

She wandered back down onto the street.

"Ted!" She called out.

He immediately turned around, and walked confidently back towards her. Her heart was beating quicker and quicker, until he stopped before her, a big smile on his face. He had been waiting for her to call out to him.

"Do you atleast wanna.. finish your story?" It was a lame attempt, but she knew he had got the message, that she wanted to spend more time with him.

He smiled happily. "Right. So, we all ran out to the parking lot."

He started to finish his story, but she was barely listening. That breeze, that soft familiar breeze had been Max. She was sure of it. It was him telling her that this was okay, that this was good, that it wasn't too soon. It was him giving his blessing, in a way that a Father would. And if Ted was good enough for Max, then he was perfect. He was a good guy, and someone she should keep seeing.

His story came to and end, and it had a happy ending; Blauman went to the wedding.

They stared at eachother, no one saying anything.

"So I guess, goodnight."

If Ted's story had taught her anything, it was that if you want someone to stick around, you have to do something. And she wanted Ted to stick around. She really did. She didn't want him to leave. She wanted him to know that he was important, that she wanted this.

She nodded. "Goodnight."

They were fairly close. His eyes were glued to hers, holding tightly onto her gaze.

She gently stepped forward slightly, her arms still folded across her chest.

She stepped in again, until they was barely a gap between them. She unfolded her arms, and placed them on his shoulders, as her lips went in. His lips met hers.

It was soft at first, not much pressure at all. But she felt suddenly bold, and wrapped her arms tighter around him, as his arms went around her waist. It was full of emotion, and she had never felt so much in one kiss before. They pulled back ever so slightly, before leaning in again. It was pure bliss. As she pulled away for the second time, she gently pecked his lips, before unwrapping her arms, and leaving them on his shoulders.

"Unless.. you wanna walk around some more? It's still early." She stared into his eyes, her hands squeezing his shoulders.

A small smile appeared on his face. "Sure."

She stepped away, and turned, walking down the steet a little way. However, when she sensed he wasn't close behind her, she stopped and turned to look at him.

He was looking at her in the most loving way she had ever known. His eyes were full of adoration and a strong emotion similiar to love.

"What are you doing?" She asked, smiling at him.

"Remembering this," he murmured, and her heart stopped for a second.

She held out her hand for his. "Come on," she said, beckoning her head for him to join her.

He walked up to her and took her hand. She wrapped her arm around his as they walked.

They hadn't walked three steps when she heard his stomach rumble. She looked up at him, and smirked. His face went slightly red.

"We should eat, huh?"

"Yeah," he mumbled. "Chinese takeaway?"

"Sure," she asked, with a gentle shrug.

They wandered down the street. Every now and then, she would feel his eyes on her, and look up and meet his gaze. He would smile, and she would too, and then she would hold his arm tighter. If she held onto him any stronger, she was sure she would cut of his circulation. However, he didn't seem to mind, and actually encouraged her, giving her a small smile everytime her arm squeezed his.

They bought chinese, a small open pot of Chicken Chow Mein and Egg fried rice.

"Where do you wanna go? Central Park?"

She nodded.

As they sat down on a bench, his arms wrapped around her shoulders, she felt happy. Some might say it was too soon, that she had not long broken up with Louis, that she was rushing things. But she wasn't. There was something there, something she had never come across before. She wasn't sure what is was. It was something that was indescribable. It was something that was felt not seen, something that touched not heard. She wasn't sure what it was, but it made her knees go weak, and her head spin. It made her heart race, and her lips tingle.

She wasn't sure what it was, but it was something special.


	4. Floating

A/N: I don't know how I feel about this chapter, it seemed better in my head! But anyway, here is chapter 4 :)

Chapter 4: Floating

Floating.

That was what he felt like as he walked along the next morning, heading to Marshall and Lily's apartment.

Like he was floating. On a cloud. On a big puffy cloud on happiness and love and everything he had ever craved.

He had the biggest smile on his face, and he was sure everyone could see it. He felt cheery and giddy, and felt as if he could fly to the moon and back.

Which, obviously he couldn't, as it is humanly impossible.

But he felt like he could.

After they have eaten on the bench at Central Park, they had walked around some more. It was strange yet fitting of how easily he could talk to her to tell her about anything and everything. As he reached Marshall and Lily's apartment block, his mind flashed to when they had said goodnight.

_"Goodnight," he whispered softly, his hands holding tightly onto hers. His thumb softly brushed her hand back and forth._

_"Goodnight," she replied, just as softly._

_Neither of them moved. Their eyes didn't seem to blink. They were focused fully on eachother._

_Ted leaned in and kissed her, just as she had done an hour and a half ago. Her lips were soft like they had been the first time, and once again her arms wrapped around him. His hands held onto her waist, and he felt her hands touch his neck._

_They both pulled away, and rested their foreheads together._

_"Goodnight," he whispered._

_"Goodnight," she pulled away and smiled, a smile that made him shiver. She was so beautiful, and all he could do was stare at her. She blushed slightly, but didn't tear her eyes away from his gaze._

_"Goodnight."_

_She laughed, shaking her head._

_"We need to say goodbye and actually mean it," she told him, smirking, as she folded her arms._

_"Yes, I know, but it's so hard because I don't want to go," he muttered._

_"I don't want you to go either, but it's late," she murmured, before leaning in and giving him another quick kiss._

_"Don't do that when you're trying to convince me to leave," he mumbled, frowning._

_She laughed. "Sorry."_

_"It's not your fault."_

_They stared at eachother for a moment, brown eyes on brown. He wanted to hug her and smell her rose scented hair, but he knew he would never ever leave if he did._

_"Goodnight Ted, and this time, I mean it. Say goodnight back, and then walk away, okay?" She raised an eyebrow._

_"Okay," he sighed. "Goodnight. Wait, am I allowed to kiss you goodnight?" Just one more kiss, one more._

_"Well, I suppose that can be fitted in," she said softly, with a smile._

_He kissed her again, but before he could pull her close to him, she had withdrawn._

_"Now, you turn around and walk away," she ordered._

_Her voice was telling him one thing, but her eyes were telling him another. She didn't want him to go either, but they both knew it was for the best; it was too soon for him to spend the night._

_"Okay, goodnight."_

_"Goodnight."_

_With that, he gave her a quick smile, and turned around, walking down the empty street. As he reached the corner, he stopped and turned around, and saw her standing exactly where he had left her._

_She raised her hand as a goodbye salute, and he did the same. He watched as she walked up to her apartment building, shoot him once last look, and then dissappear inside._

Ted reached the apartment door, and knocked. He waited for a while, and when no one answered, he turned the door-handle, and walked in.

Boxes were everywhere, the whole longue full up with cardboard. He picked up a box of Marvin's toys that had fallen over, and set it up neatly. Lily and Marshall were almost ready for their big move.

"Lily!? Marshall?" He called out, looking around for a sign of his friends.

He heard a slight 'ommph', before Lily appeared coming out of Marvin's room, her dark red hair pulled up into a messy ponytail.

"Hey Ted!" She yelled, as she came out staggering, trying to hold onto a large cardboard box that looked fairly heavy. She was going to drop it any second, he could tell.

Ted raced over, and took the box out of her hands. It was heavy, as he had assumed, and when he looked down, he saw it was full of books and photographs. One album lay open, and he smiled slightly at the image of Lily and Marshall on their wedding day.

He carried the box over to the dining table, and set it on top another.

"Thanks," Lily muttered, falling back onto her couch, and closing her eyes. She looked very tired.

He took a seat beside her. "Where's Marshall?" He asked.

"Down at some store buying Marvin a new pram; he broke it this morning," she said, with a yawn.

"How?" He asked, knowing that it probably had such great story.

"He sat in it," she said, shaking her head.

"Oh right," Ted said, with a laugh.

"Yeah," she murmured, her eyes still closed. He knew the move to Rome was driving Lily crazy, along with the fact that she was pregnant. They were moving out to Rome in a few days time, along with Lily's father, Mickey, and although it was her dream, Ted knew she was feeling slightly guilty about the trip; Marshall was giving up a big opurtunity of becoming a judge in New York. However, as Marshall had told her, living in Rome was a once-in-a-lifetime chance, not just for her, but for their family.

Ted was sad to see them go. It was weird, living in New York without Lily and Marshall. They were leaving on Sunday. Lily had promised to skype him atleast once a week, but skyping wouldn't be the same. Yeah, he would be able to hear them, and see them, but it wouldn't be the same.

It was also be awkward hanging around with just Robin and Barney, as they were now newly weds and would probably be all over eachother. He was atleast happy that he had met Tracy, and that their date had gone reasonably well. He was sure they both wanted to see eachother again. However, he also knew that their relationship, if they had one, might go a bit slower than usual, seeing as she had not long exited a long-term relationship. Not that he minded. All of his relationships that had started off slowly had been good. For example, Victoria. They had been going brilliantly, until she moved to Germany and he cheated on her with Robin.

Of course, he doubted that was going to happen with Tracy. He was no longer in love with Robin. He had known that when she had given him the opurtunity to run away with her, and he had refused. It had been the idea of her he had loved, the idea of being with her.

Therefore, having a slow relationship had no faults. If she was the one, he wanted everything to perfect. He didn't mind waiting forever, because if she was who he was supposed to be with, why should he rush? He had all the time in the world if she was the once. And he had a feeling that she was.

"Hello? Earth to Ted?"

Ted jumped, and looked towards Lily, who was looking at him with a cheeky smile on her face. He knew that smile. It was the smile she gave him when she knew something, or rather someone was on his mind.

"I take it the date went well?"

Ted sighed, but he couldn't control the smile that was growing on his face. It did go well afterall.

"I knew it! You kissed her, didn't you? You kissed her Ted, you kissed her!" Lily was bouncing, her voice going all giggly.

"Yeah, uh, kinda," he mumbled, still smiling.

"You have to tell me everything!" Lily pleaded.

Ted loved the way Lily always got so excited and involved in his relationships.._Well, some times anyway. _She did care though, he knew that, and that was why they had always been so close. Lily was always interested in whatever he had to tell. Most of the time. Well, when it wasn't about buildings or history or science.. or anything that wasn't gossip related.

"Well, we didn't go to that Scottish-Mexican fusion place. It seemed kinda lame. So we walked around abit, and I ended up telling her some story," Ted commented, smiling at the memory.

"I was half-way through, when she saw her ex-boyfriend, and she dragged me behind a van; turns out she broke up with him on Saturday, when he proposed to her."

Lily's eyes widened. "What? Saturday?!"

"Yeah, Saturday. So anyway, she told me that she was sorry and that she was in a weird place and that she wasn't ready to date, so I started to walk her home, and told her more of the story."

"But you said you kissed her? I have heard of no kissing!" Lily folded her arms, already doubting him.

Ted rolled his eyes. "I haven't exactly finished yet, okay? Anyway, we get to her home but I haven't finished my story. But we say goodnight, and I turn and walk away, to go home, bu-"

"You said there was kissing!" Lily shouted, glaring at him. "You lying piece of sh-"

"Wait! So, as I was saying, I had turned and walked away, when she shouted after me, and some part of me knew she would. I walked back up to her, and she asked me to finish my story, which I did. Then, we kissed. Well, she kissed me and I kissed her back." The memory was perfect, and he couldn't help the goofy smile on his face. Kissing her had felt so natural and perfect, like he had been doing it the whole time.

"So, technically, you didn't kiss her! You made her make the first move an-"

"Hey! It's the 21st century Lily, girls can take iniative too every once and a while!" He told her angrily.

Lily folded her arms. "Continue!" She ordered.

"Fine. Well, she then said it's still early and we could walk around some more if I wanted, so we did. We got chinese food and ate at Central park, and it was nice."

"Did you spend the night?" Lily asked, curiously, although, there was a spark of excitement in her eyes.

"No, obviously not, I wouldn't be round here at what, 11, if I had stayed over. Besides, it's too soon for that, I want this to go well."

Before Lily could reply, the front-door burst open, and Marshall entered with Marvin in a new blue pram. However, neither Lily or Ted were looking at the pram. Instead, both their eyes were staring at Marshall's face.

On his face, was the cheekiest grin Ted had ever saw. It was wide but crooked, and he looked very happy,

"You will never guess who I just saw," Marshall yelled, closing the door behind him, and then moving towards the couch quickly.

"Who?" Ted asked, as Lily picked Marvin up out of his pram, and examined it ("Oooh Marshall, it's perfect!")

"Tracy! I saw her as I crossed the road, she had been running by the looks of it!"

Ted looked at him in shock. He had missed her by a few minutes! He could have saw her! Why hadn't he left a few minutes later?

However, judging by the look of pure glee on Marshall's face, the story didn't end there.

"And?" Ted asked, knowing there was always an 'and?' to Marshall's stories.

"Well, she congratulated me and Lily on the pregnancy, and then I asked her about your date last night." Marshall wiggled his eyebrows effectively, before saying, "You scored!"

Ted looked at him in shock. "What she say?" He asked quickly, eager to hear what Tracy had said. It must had been something good, it must had been to make Marshall go completely crazy.

"She said that she had a great time, and that she can't wait to see you again!"

Ted stared at him. "Really? I might call her up tomorrow or something."

"Ted, don't you understand the power of that comment?" Marshall asked, looking at him in shock.

"No..?"

Ted was confused. Sure, the comment was nice. She wanted to see him again. However, he was slightly confused as to what Marshall was so happy about.

"Look, Ted, she obviously put a lot of thought into that comment. She wanted to get it across that she enjoyed the date, however, she didn't want to come across too needy or clingy. She wanted to pass it off smooth. She didn't want to go into great detail, incase it seemed too much. She wanted to get it across smoothly but effectively."

Marshall leaned back against the couch, and folded his arms. He looked very pleased with himself. Ted, however, was still looking at him as if he was crazy.

"She could have just meant it in the way she put it. She isn't going to tell you that she had a dreadful time, especially when she knows you're going to tell me every detail, is she?"

Marshall looked at him blankly for a moment. "Why, did she have a dreadful time?"

Te sighed heavily. "No, I think it went really good."

"Then, believe me, that is what lies hidden behind her comment!" Marshall declared. "Isn't that right Lily?"

Lily looked up from Marvin. "Sorry, what?"

Marshall shot her a look, and Ted rolled his eyes. "Look guys, I'm gunna go, still gotta unpack most of my stuff." He got up, ignoring the pointed looks Lily and Marshall were giving eachother.

He opened the door and left, just as he heard Marshall say to Lily, "You were supposed to back me up!"

He wandered along the street, enjoying the pleasent walk. It was a nice day, perfect for a long walk back to his apartment, and all in all, when he felt like he was floating, he could walk for miles. Tracy wanted to see him again..It was great! Well, he hoped she would have, especially as she kissed him a few times the previous night.

He went round the corner, and kicked a stone, trudging along the sidewalk slowly. He was in no rush. He was floating, and he loved it.

He rounded another corner, and walked along, coming close to a cafe. The cool air was nice.

As he walked pass the cafe, he glanced in through the window, as he did everytime he walked past.

However, something made him stop in shock. Something made his floating self fall through the clouds and land hard on the cold ground.

His eyes widened, and his mouth went dry.

This could not be happening.

Tracy was sitting in the coffee shop, looking as Marshall had explained, like she had been running.

And sitting opposite her was her ex-boyfriend.

The one they had hidden from the night before.


	5. Max

A/N: Next chapter :) Hope you enjoy.

Chapter 5: Max

Tracy looked down awkwardly at the table, nervously biting her lip. Why. Why oh why did she have to run in to him? Literally! All she had wanted to do was have a nice jog, and _not _run into her ex-boyfriend, _and not _be asked if she could have a drink with him.

She regretted saying yes to speaking with him, but she knew she had too. She owed him an explanation. Sort of. Okay, she did. After all, they had dated for a while, long enough for him to think of proposing. Proposing totally unexpectedly. She was shocked when he had knelt down, and pulled out the ring; their relationship hadn't been.. love. She had felt that she had been with him out of fear of being alone, instead of because her heart wanted him.

She glanced up and saw Louis staring at her. He looked away as her eyes met his, and she wanted to scream. He had invited her for a coffee and a chat, yet there was no coffee in front and no talking.

She cleared her throat, trying to get his attention, and luckily, he caught on.

"I'll, erm, get coffee, right?" He said, quietly.

She nodded, but didn't say anything. Her voice seemed to have died.

What was she supposed to say? She didn't want to make it sound too harsh, but then again, she didn't want him to get the wrong idea. She _didn't _love him, and that was the truth. She couldn't deny it. She couldn't lie to him, could she? But saying she didn't love him, that was hard. She couldn't imagine hearing those words, all the pain and heart-break they must cause. Then again, she would rather be told the truth than live a lie.

She sighed, and looked out the window. How she longed to be standing out there, in the fresh air, on her way home, walking besides Ted, an- wait. Ted?

Sure enough, Ted was standing there, outside, looking into the cafe, a weird look on his face. Her eyes met his, and he stared at her blankly. She sent him an awkward smile, and glanced towards the line where Louis was standing, trying to send him a signal.

He seemed to get it, and a look of relization came over his face. She sighed, nodding, and he gave her a comforting smile. She looked at him, then glanced towards the table behind her. For some reason, she felt that if Ted was sitting behind her, it would be slightly easier, almost as if she had a bit of support. He nodded, and walked through the door, taking the seat she had suggested. She could hear his breathing, and it already seemed to make her feel better.

"Are you okay?"

His soft voice sounded quite worried, concerned, and she felt her heart stop.

"Not really, but I knew this was coming," she replied, not turning around; she didn't want Louis to get suspicous.

"Oh, do you know what you're going to say?"

"Not really," she murmured, as she watched Louis pay. "He's coming now, be quiet."

Louis carried over the tray, and sat down. He pulled the two cups of coffee of the tray, and slid the tray along so it was out of the way.

"I got you an Expresso, you still like that right?" He asked, uncertainly.

She rolled her eyes, trying not to laugh in his face. "It's been 5 days Louis, not 5 years."

"Right," he said, giving an awkward laugh. "Right, 5 days."

An awkward silence washed over them. She wanted to get it over with, but it was so hard. None of them seemed to want to start it. She thought of Ted sitting behind her, and it calmed her a little.

"So, are you going to start this chat then?" She asked, drumming her fingers on the table.

"Oh, right," he said, but nothing else.

"Louis, you asked for this chat, remember?" She told him, arching an eyebrow.

"I know I did," he muttered, taking a sip of his Cappucino.

"Well, are you going to say anything?"

He frowned for a moment, and looked in deep thought. Her heart rate became quicker, and she felt a little dizzy. He was going to ask her a question any second, and she would have to answer. Honestly.

"Why?" He finally said, staring into her eyes.

"Why what?" She asked, although she already knew the answer.

"Why did you say no..Why did you end things?"

She knew the question was coming, but it didn't calm the feeling of shock that shot through her system. She bit her lip, and tried to find an answer, but she couldn't. It was hard. She had never broken up with someone before Saturday night, and therefore had never had the awkward 'why?' conversation.

"Is it because you don't love me?" He asked, and again she didn't answer. "Tracy?"

She drank a bit of her drink, then wiped her mouth on the back on her hand.

"I didn't want to live a lie." It was the truth. Marrying Louis would be a lie. She would be lying to him, and lying to herself.

"A lie?" He said, confused. "What lie?"

"That I was happy. I didn't want to act happy, when I wasn't." It came out harsher than she expected, and she gulped nervously.

"You weren't happy with me?" He asked, his eyes filled with confusion and hurt.

"I..Not fully.." She murmured, refusing to meet his eyes.

"Is it because of what you told me when we first met? Because of Max?"

Her eyes shot up to his as his sentence ended on Max's name. Her eyes filled with angry tears, but she dared not wipe them away. How, how could he bring Max into this, how could he blame Max for something that wasn't his fault. She had always, would always, love Max. She thought Louis knew that, she thought he understood.

"No, it's not because of Max," she said furiously. "Don't try and blame it on him! Besides, you knew I loved him, I told you when I met you, so don't blame me being unhappy on him, because he doesn't deserve it!" Her heart was pounding.

Louis seemed to realize his mistake. "I'm s-sorry," he stammered. "I-I didn't mean to offend you or anything."

"Well you did," she told him, as a tear fell down her cheek. She wiped it away aggressively.

"Trace, you've gotta, you've gotta help me here," he whispered, and reached out and placed his hand on top of hers.

She grabbed her hand back, quickly, as if she had touched a hot kettle. "That night you proposed, I told myself I was going to move on, Louis, but I can't move on with you, I'm sorry! I loved Max, I still do love Max; he was perfect, he was sweet, he was my everything. You have no idea how hard it is to cope with losing someone like that, someone you thought was your forever. " She stopped and wiped away another tear, taking a deep breath.

" And moving on from him.. it's the hardest you can ever imagine doing.. But I don't want to move on with the wrong person! I've finally decided to do this, and I'm sorry, but I would be living a lie if I married you! Max was my all. And I know I can't win the lottery again if I keep holding onto my old numbers, so I'm letting them go. But I can't win again if I'm playing the wrong draw. I'm sorry Louis, but I, I think us not being together is for the best."

Tears were streaming down her cheeks, and she made no effort to stop them.

"I think I should go," she whispered, standing up.

Louis grabbed her hand. "Tracy, I'm sorry, atleast finish you coff-"

"I really need to get out of here, I'm sorry," she muttered, pulling her hand back, and walking out the door.

The air greeted her, and she wrapped her arms around herself as she walked around the corner. Her tears were still falling, but she didn't care. She didn't mind. She kept walking, hugging herself, needing to get home so she could let it all out.

"TRACY! WAIT, TRACY!"

Tracy jumped, and turned around to see Ted racing down the street towards her, running exceptionally quick. In her conversation with Louis, she had forgotten he was sitting behind her.

Ted reached her, and automatically pulled her into a tight hug. His arms embraced her so tightly, that she gave in, and let herself collapse into her arms, letting her tears burst from her. His arms rocked her back and forth, his chin resting on the top of her head. Her face was buried into his shirt, and she cried more than she had done in days, in weeks, in months.

"Ssshhh, it's alright," he whispered. "Ssshh."

Eventually, she pulled back. He glued her to his side, as they began walking together, tears still lightly falling down her cheeks. They walked quietly, no ones speaking, the only sound being her gentle sobs.

They reached her apartment building, and he walked up to the door, and opened it, walking them both inside. They walked towards her apartment, and when she reached her door, she reluctantly seperated herself from his side, and opened her door.

She wandered in, Ted close behind her. She kicked off her shoes, and collapsed onto her couch.

Ted sat down next to her, and pulled her into his arms. He just held her, not saying any words. It was quiet and peaceful, but she knew there was something she needed to explain to him, something she felt he should know about her past.

"When I was 18, I met a boy called Max," she whispered, sniffing slightly. "He was a year older than me, but he was perfect. More than perfect."

Ted gently kissed her forehead, and she snuggled deeper into his side.

"We began dating, and I loved him more than anything. I really felt that he, that he was the one. His smile would give me butterflies, his face would light up when he saw me, and nothing could destroy it. Everyone was saying they wished for what Max and I had."

Ted's hand softly stroked her back, his fingers calming her.

"On my 21st birthday, 8 years ago, I was waiting for him at a bar, with all my friends. He was, he was late."

Tears dripped down her cheeks, and into Ted's shirt, but she knew she had to go on.

"I got a call. I thought it was him but.. but it wasn't. It was the hospital. He, he had been in a cab, and the cab had colided with a another car.. He, he had broken his neck, and died instantly."

She hiccuped, shaking her head as to try and stop her tears. It had been a while, a while since she had fully spoke about Max to anyone. She hadn't spoken about him like this in years. It was painful but comfortable at the same time, as she knew that Ted was as good a guy as any, and that she didn't mind telling him about her past.

"For years I refused to date, I refused to get out there, b-because I thought that M-Max had been the one for me, and n-now, n-now he was gone. My pure, i-innocent Max."

"It's okay," Ted whispered, placing another kiss on her forehead.

"I met L-Louis in April last year, a-and he was the first guy I had been with s-since. I l-liked the companionship m-more than I liked him.. I t-thought I should have settled for h-him because Max h-had been my winning l-lottery t-ticket, and I wouldn't get another. But when L-Louis p-proposed, I spoke to M-Max, and he, he s-said I could move on. So I-I want to. B-but not with L-Louis. It's not r-right."

She finished, and felt better for it. She itched closer to Ted, and was so close that she was more or less sitting in his lap. In the end, he lifted her and pulled her up into his lap, and she found that she loved the warmth and intensity of the contact. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her.

"A-am I a bad person?" She whispered, sniffing, raising her head to look at him.

"No," he whispered. "You're a very good person, who has gone through hell."

She nodded, hiccuping. "I thought I-I was being a bad p-person, saying no to him like t-that."

Ted shook his head. "You do whatever makes you happy.. After all, Max was and is part of your life and always will be, but that doesn't mean you can't be happy, does it?"

"N-no," she mumbled, her hand gripping his shirt.

"Exactly," he whispered, dropping a kiss on her nose. "But that doesn't mean you should forget him either..You should be yourself, have fun, and not let life weigh you down. You have the future ahead of you, and you should look forward to it, but visiting the past every now and then isn't necessarily a bad thing now is it?"

"You're right," she replied, placing her head in the crook of his neck. "You're 100% right."

And she meant it, in every way possible.


	6. A dog called Barney and a Pizza War

A/N: After last chapter, I thought we could use something a little more light-hearted...a little more fun.. so here is the next chapter :)

Chapter 6: A dog called Barney and a Pizza War

"I'm just going to get changed."

Ted watched as Tracy stood up, and made her way into her bedroom. His eyes lingered on the door as it shut, before he looked away, and glanced around the room.

For an hour, maybe longer, they had sat, wrapped in eachothers arms, in a comfortable silence. She had sat in his lap, her head resting in the crook of his neck, and the sound of her quiet breathing intrigued him. Never, had he sat like _that _with someone, not that silent, not that emotionally intimate. They hadn't spoken, not uttering a word, but they had enjoyed eachothers presence, and the quiet environment had been comforting for the both of them.

He couldn't believe what she had gone through on her 21st birthday, 8 years ago. To lose someone.. _like that,_ on her birthday no less. He thought for a moment. 8 years ago was 2005, and in 2005, he was completely in love with Robin.

He wondered what he would have done if she had died.

He shook his head.

He couldn't imagine it. The thought was too... too upsetting. Even now, Robin was like his sister, if he lost her _now, _that would be devestating. He didn't know how Tracy had coped, and didn't blame her in the slightest for being hesitant about dating. He knew he would have been. Heck, he was hesitant about dating months after a break up, let alone what he would be like if someone _died. _If Robin had died, he would have too. He knew that was probably how Tracy had felt when Max had passed away; like she was empty. He couldn't bare the thought.

He glanced around the apartment. It had been the one he had entered when he had gone on a date with Cindy, and he laughed at the memory of picking out all of Tracy's things. It wasn't his fault, he had been _trying _to take an interest, and had loved each and everyone of the items he picked out. Especially the bass guitar.

The apartment was smaller that Marshall and Lily's, and smaller than his own, but it was comfortable, and he found that he rather liked it. Resting against one wall was the yellow umbrella, and he smiled at how they had argued over whose it had been. The whole 'T.M' thing had started alot, much more than just initials. 'T.M'= Ted Mosby, Tracy McConnell, Terribly Mistaken, To Me.

Tracy came back in, wearing a pair of blue sweat pants and an over-larged white sweater. She didn't even seem embarrassed to be seen in that outfit, and that made him fall for her a little more. She was already acting comfortable around him.. Then again, she could have come out wearing a donkey costume and he would have still found her attractive.

She wandered out into her kitchen, and Ted followed her, leaning against the door-frame. She was looking through a pile of leaflets, occasionally putting one to the side.

"Do you want a drink? You can help yourself to a soda in the refrigerator," she told him, without looking up.

"Thanks," he replied, stepping forward. He opened the refrigerator, and pulled out a can of cola. "Do you want one?"

"Yeah, please."

He pulled out another, and handed it too her. She smiled gratefully.

"Do you wanna to order pizza? I'm getting kind of hungry, but I can't be asked to cook," she asked, sighing.

"Sure."

They ordered a large ham and pineapple pizza, and a box of spicy chicken wings, and then they settled on the couch, in front of the television. Tracy grabbed the remote, and turned it on, flickering through the channels. She came to a halt when she saw that 'Return of the Jedi' was on, and looked at Ted for confirmation, raising an eyebrow.

He smirked, and nodded, trying not to laugh. She liked Star Wars, how cool was that? Of course, he had an idea that she was a fan, remembering her mentioning how she wanted to call her son, 'Luke'. But he also thought it may have been a coincidence.

However, now it was confirmed.

He had found the perfect women.

"Do you like dogs?" It had slipped out quicker than he had meant it to, but he loved dogs, and he wanted her to love them too.

Tracy turned her head to face him, tilting her head to one side. "Dogs?"

"Yeah, do you like dogs?"

"Yeah, of course I do. I use to have one when I was younger, called Barney," she told him, a grin spreading across her face. _Barney. She had a dog called Barney._

"Barney? You had a dog called Barney?!" His eyes were wide with shock, his jaw hitting his lap.

She laughed, nodding. "Yes, I had a dog called Barney."

"Oh My God, I cannot believe that! I have to tell Barney!"

She likes dogs! And her dog was called Barney!

"Yeah, he was a labrador.. quite loud and noisy. Definitely had a behaviour issue."

"Sounds like a Barney," Ted commented, still laughing.

They focused on the film, every now and then making a comment. 20 minutes in, the door bell rang, indicating that the pizza was here.

"About time," Ted thought, as his stomach rumbled.

Tracy went to get up, but Ted was up first.

"Let me," he said, pulling out his wallet.

"Ted, it's fine, I'll-"

"No, I've got in, sit down," he told her.

"No."

He raised any eyebrow. "What?"

"I'm buying this Pizza," she said, folded her arms, arching a single eyebrow, as if daring him to argue with her.

"No, you're not."

"Yes. I. Am."

With that, she moved towards the door. Her hand had nearly grasped the handle, when Ted's armed wrapped around tightly her waist, and he picked her up. She was light, and fit nicely in his arms, her hair flying about.

"TED!" She screeched, wriggling in his arms desperately, but he clung onto her. "Ted! Put me down!"

He carried her over to the couch, and dropped her back onto it, before turning to the door, hearing her bitter, 'ommph' behind him.

He opened it, and saw the Delivery boy standing there, the Pizza box in his hands, looking quite alarmed. His eyes were wide, and he looked as if he had been waiting outside a haunted house.

"How much?" Ted asked, trying not to laugh at the poor guys face.

"$18 please Sir."

Ted had just opened his wallet, when he felt a large force on his left side, and he cluttered to the floor. He looked up, shocked, to see Tracy standing there, a smirk on her face, a 20 dollar bill in her hand. Ted looked at her, appalled.

The Delivery boy looked beyond shocked , his mouth open wide. He looked unsure of whether or not he should help Ted up.

"Here you go," Tracy said with a soft smile, handing the boy the money.

"Don't take it!" Ted roared, standing up, slipping slightly as he did.

"W-why?" The boy asked, confused, and he took a step back, catious of the mad pair.

"Just don't!" Ted yelled, glaring at Tracy, who glared back.

"I'm paying!" Tracy demanded, furiously. "It's my apartment, therefore I pay!"

"No!" Ted said. "I pay!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"N-"

"Why don't you just pay half each?" The Delivery Boy asked, uncertain. "I don't think either of you are going to back down, so why don't you pay $9 each?"

Tracy looked at Ted, frowning. "Because I want to pay."

"I want to."

"Well, both pay then," the Delivery Boy said.

"Fine," they muttered, simultaneously, elbowing eachother as they stepped forward.

They each handed over $10, and got a dollar each back. Ted took the pizza out of the boy's hands, and offered him a small but forced smile, before closing the door behind him.

Tracy was busying in the kitchen, and entered with two plates, looking at him furiously, as she settled them down on the coffee table.

"Why wouldn't you let me pay?" She demanded.

"Why wouldn't you let me?"

"It's my place," she told him, folding her arms.

"Well, I'm the guy," he stated, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Tracy frowned. "That doesn't mean you have to pay for everything, y'know. It's the 21st century."

He smirked, remembering himself saying that exact line earlier. "I know it doesn't, but I wanted to."

She looked at him, right in the eye. "Next time, let me pay."

"Okay," he said, not really meaning it, and he sensed she knew that, judging by the look she sent him.

However, her comment, 'Next time', made him feel giddy at the thought of there being a _next time. _

They ate and watched 'Star Wars', both of them shooting playful glares at eachother every once in a while. Ted had to admit, he loved it. It was playful, and fun, and he had enjoyed every moment of their playful fight. He especially enjoyed the part where she pushed him over, as he had not seen it coming. It was been a pleasant shock, and he had never known anyone to do that. Usually, any girl he was with would just let him pay, and that was that.

But Tracy _wanted _to pay. She wasn't one of those girls who said they'd pay just so the guy told them not to. She actually was serious about paying, to the extent that she ran at him, knocking him off his feet. It was unexpected, but left him with a fuzzy feeling inside of him.

They finished, and he carried his plate out to the kitchen as Tracy carried hers out. As Ted put his plate into the sink, he felt something splat against his back. He jumped, and jerked around, to see a pizza slice lying on the floor, which had obviously fallen to the floor after it had hit him.

He looked up, and saw Tracy standing there, a devilish smile on her face. "Sorry, it must have slipped."

He looked at her, his mouth open in shock. Then, he grabbed another spare slice from the box, and launched it across, so quickly, she hadn't seen it coming. It hit her white sweater, the tomato sauce colliding with the fabric, making a rich red stain.

Her eyes glanced down towards it, before her head shot up, and her eyes met his. She glared at him, and he glared back, although only playfully.

She picked the pizza slice up from the floor, and threw it; it hit him square in the face, and he jerked back, shocked. Damn, this girl had a good aim.

She smiled prettily, before moving into the living room.

Ted followed, and she sped up. She stood behind the couch, and he sauntered after her, but she was too quick. They were facing eachother, Tracy teasing him, poking her tongue out.

He turned, and ran quickly, but again, she was too quick, and he missed.

"Come on, slow coach!" She yelled, smirking. "Are you gunna be outrun by a girl?"

With that, he launched over the front of the couch, alarming Tracy. He wrapped his arms around her, as he fell to the floor, landing on top of her.

The faces were close, and he could feel her breath on his cheek.

Their eyes locked, and the next thing he knew, her lips were on his. The kiss was fast and passionate, her hands pulling on his hair, his hands holding onto her waist.

It was heaven. It was better than anything he had ever imagined.

They were laying on Tracy's living room floor, covered in pizza sauce, kissing like there was no tomorrow.

His hands moved up to her hair, his fingers playing with her soft brown locks. It was soft, and silky, and he could have played with it forever.

It was perfect.

He dragged his lips away, and looked down at her. Her eyes were large, staring up at him. She had a smudge of red tomato sauce on her cheek, and he laughed, before wiping it away with the pad of his thumb.

He stood up, and offered her a hand. She took it, and he pulled her to her feet.

"We better clean up."


	7. Saturday

A/N: Thanks everyone for the reviews! Wow! Personal thanks to: Osced, , Chibiandbasil and lazytv8 who have reviewed alot! Many thanks! And also thanks to all the guests reviewing, that means alot too :)

Thanks!

Chapter 7: Saturday

Tracy had been best-friends with Kelly Anderson ever since she was seven years old, and they had met in a playground. _The _playground actually, as it had been the only one in the neighbourhood. Kelly had been new to the area, and Tracy had become the first friend Kelly had ever had in the town.

Since the age of 13, Kelly had always been more popular with the boys than Tracy was, as Kelly was more out-going, loud and into crazy music and dance routines. Not that Tracy had minded. To be fair, Tracy had rather liked watching Kelly play with the boy's affections, and thought it was very funny, as Kelly played the boys at their own game. Kelly would play the players, and break the hearts of the heartbreakers, a job that no one thought a girl could do. However, Kelly did, and very easily.

As they got older, Kelly had always skipped from man to man, very rarely staying with someone more than 3 months. Well, two. Her shortest relationship had actually consisted of two minutes and 35 seconds, in which Kelly had asked a boy out, kissed him thoroughly, them dumped him, while Tracy timed it.

So you can understand why Tracy was so shocked to see a sparkling diamond engagement ring, sitting snug on Kelly's ring finger.

"Woah," she whispered, as she sat down in a booth at MacLarens bar. "Woah."

"I know! Isn't it beautiful?" Kelly said, glancing towards it, as she pushed a glass of scotch towards Tracy.

"It's.. _woah."_

Kelly raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"It's just-"

"Don't tell me- _woah?"_

Tracy laughed, her eyes still on the ring. "When did this happen?"

"Thursday night, Jared took me out to a really nice restaurant, and he proposed! It was so beautiful, T, seriously."

Tracy's eyes flickered up to Kelly's face. "How long have you been seeing Jared?" She asked. It wasn't a year yet, but a bit less. 8 months? 9 maybe?

"9 months tomorrow," Kelly said, her voice sounding dreamy. "And I know by most people's standards, 9 months is way too early, but I've never been with a guy this long.. And Jared, he's _special. _I can just feel it, T, it's special."

Tracy nodded. "Well, I'm happy for you!"

Kelly beamed. "You'll be Maid of Honor?"

Tracy's mouth opened in shock. "Wha-?"

"Oh come on, T! Obviously I want you as my Maid of Honor, you're my best-friend! Please?"

"Okay," Tracy said, shocked. She had not been expecting that. Kelly had two older sisters, and she always assumed that if Kelly _had _decided to get married, one of them would be Maid of Honor. Not her.

"Thanks! I'm so excited! Mom was over the moon! I went to see her yesterday, and she started crying! I don't think she ever thought I would settle down."

"I'm not surprised; you've been with most of the guys in New York."

"Hey! I'm not that bad!"

Tracy rolled her eyes. "Right, course, sorry, I was thinking of my other friend named Kelly."

Kelly shook her head. "Look, I'm happy, and I don't care about my past, all I care about now is my future with Jared, and that's all that matters."

Tracy nodded approvingly. "Wow, well done, you've _finally _grown up."

Kelly smiled. "I know, I didn't know I had it in me!"

"I don't think any of us did," Tracy said, honesty.

Kelly rolled her eyes, just as a mischevious glint appeared in her eye.

Tracy's eyes widened. That look only happened when Tracy was going to ask _the _question, the question she asked almost every time they met up, the question th-

"How was your date with Ted on Wednesday?"

Tracy jerked back, a sigh of relief escaping her lips. That wasn't _the _question; that was just, _a _question, and that question she didn't mind.

"It was nice; really nice."

Kelly's eyes sparkled.

"Will you be seeing him again?"

Tracy blushed.

"I already have; he came over Thursday."

"What?!" Kelly screeched. "Tell me everything! How good was he?"

"No! We didn't-no!"

Kelly frowned. "Well, what did you do then?"

"Watched Star Wars, ate Pizza, had a food-fight, y'know, the usual," she said casually.

Kelly looked disgusted. "Out of everything, you put Star Wars on? Are you having a laugh?"

This was one of the things Tracy hated about Kelly; her loathing of Star Wars.

"Hey, he liked them too! He even wants to name his son Luke," Tracy said, matter-of-factly.

"Wow, you two nerds do belong together," Kelly muttered under her breath, causing Tracy to kick her in the shins.

"Look, can you _please _not critic Star Wars in front of me, or we may have a serious problem."

Kelly arched an eyebrow. "Oh really? What sort of _serious _problem?"

"Well, I may just have to use some of my strength, and pound you like a sack of meat; carrying around a bass guitar does have it's advantages," Tracy said, slyly, pretending to lift weights with her arms.

Kelly burst into a fit of giggles.

"I am the muscle man, critic my films, and I will pound your face," Tracy said, still miming with her arms.

Kelly laughed even harder, and Tracy was quite surprised. Kelly very rarely laughed that hard. Over all, she seemed fairly proud of herself.

"I am Tracy, Queen of Strength, and I will- AHHHHH!"

She jumped, as she felt someone flick her ear, and stood up, turning around. Immediately, she went bright red, as, sitting in the booth behind them was Ted, Marshall, and Lily.

She know understood why Kelly had been laughing so hard; Ted had witnessed her whole 'Queen-of-strength' performance.

"Hi," Ted said, cheerily.

"Hi," Tracy replied, stepping out of the booth, to give him a hug. He hugged her back, and as he did he whispered something in her ear.

"You can tell me more about this Queen of Strength thing later."

Tracy pulled back, red, and hugged Lily and Marshall, both of whom were trying hard to keep from laughing. Marshall even pretened to lift up a weight, which caused her to be very embarrassed.

She cursed Kelly in her head.

"So, who's your friend?" Ted asked, glancing towards Kelly.

"Oh right, Ted, Lily, Marshall, this is Kelly. Kelly, this is Ted, Lily and Marshall."

After everyone had been introduced, Tracy stood awkwardly holding her drink, listening into Lily and Kelly's talk about Kelly's wedding planning. To be fair, it was kind of boring, as she, Ted and Marshall weren't really saying anything. Finally, when it been 2 seconds without Lily or Kelly talking, Ted spoke up.

"So, I guess you two are out celebrating?"

"Yes," Kelly beamed, and Tracy indicated that more wedding talk was on the way, so she interjected quickly.

"What about you?"

"Oh, well were leaving tomorrow, so Lily's Dads got Marvin, and we decided to come down here for a drink, last time in New York for a while," Marshall said, with a shrug.

"Oh, yes, you're going to Italy, right?" Tracy asked, as she leant across to the table, and picked up her drink.

"Yeah, for a year, Lily's even going to give birth to this little guy out there," Marshall, said, placing a hand on Lily's stomach, and rubbing it.

"Guy? Oh, no Mister, we have a little girl in here," Lily said, patting her stomach, smiling happily.

Marshall frowned. "What? How could you possibly know that? We haven't been checked, it's too soon, and you said we'd wait till Italy to see a doctor."

"I know I haven't seen a doctor, but I just know; it's a girl. And her name will be Daisy, Daisy-Rose Eriksen. I thought keeping the flower names going would be nice."

"Woah, am I not the Father of this baby?" Marshall said shocked, and Lily looked up at him, frowning.

"What, of course you are Marshall."

"Then why have you picked names without consulting me?" Marshall said, sounding quite put out. He stared down at the floor, his arms folded, and looked like a child who had been denied candy.

"Sorry baby, how about you pick the name for if it's a boy?"

"Okay," he murmured, and Lily smiled, winking at Tracy when Marshall wasn't looking, and mouthing, "It won't be a boy."

They all stood around talking for a while, and, hoping no one would notice, Tracy silently excused herself. She walked out of the bar, and into the cool summer air of June. It was a nice evening, with a clear sky, and as she looked up, she saw there were millions of stars.

She had always been a lover of star gazing, and she remembered a certain date with Max had something to do with it..

_"Come on! It's going to be nice, I swear," Max told her, his eyes pleading with her. It was 11 at night, and she had been planning to go up to sleep. However, just as she switched her T.V off, she heard a knock at the door, and upon answering it, found Max standing at her doorstep. For the last ten minutes, he had been _trying _to get her to go out on a 'magical adventure' with him, and to be honest, he was winning her over._

_"Okay, fine, fine, just let me grab my coat," she said, smiling._

_"YES!" He yelled, and she punched him on the arm. _

_"Shut up, people are sleeping," she hissed, but he rolled his arms, and pulled her into him, kissing her lightly._

_Once she was ready, wearing her blue zip-up jacket, Max grabbed her hand and pulled her down the stairs of her apartment building. His old Van was pulled up, half on the side-walk, and he opened the passenger door for her._

_"So, where are we going? You never actually told me," she said, pulling on her seat belt._

_"Wait and see," he said, winking at her._

_He drove for quite a while, going out of the city, and into the country. Tracy was fairly confused of what could lie in the country, and was very surprised when he drove onto a field._

_"Max, what are you doing? We aren't supposed to be hear, it's private land," she muttered, looking around catiously._

_"Chill out, Trace, it'll be fine," he said, reassuringly, and strangely, she couldn't help but trust him._

_They stepped out of the Van, and Max went and opened up the back, pulling out a blanket, and a basket of food. _

_"Midnight picnic, what do you think?"_

_"Very romantic," she whispered, kissing his cheek._

_He laid down the blanket, a red and blue knitted one, and sat down, patting the space next to him. She sat down beside him, and then they both leant back. He wrapped his arm around her, and she snuggled into his side as they looked up at the stars._

_"They're so beautiful," she murmured._

_"Not as beautiful as you."_

_She rolled her eyes. "Can you see the constellations?"_

_"Erm, what?"_

_"You know, star constellations. Like, Aries and Pisces and Cancer, and all of those."_

_"No.. I can't, I just see stars."_

_"Well, what stars do you see? Obviously Sirius, I mean, it's the brightest one, but there is also Regulus just there, and Pollus and Capella might be out, and maybe Castor but-"_

_She was cut off as his lips met hers, and she smiled as she pulled him on top of her._

_"Do you ever stop talking?" He whispered, when they had broken apart._

_"Sometimes," she told him, her fingers curling around his hair. _

_"How about we eat?" He asked, and she nodded._

_He had packed sandwiches of every kind, and they ate, every now and then talking or laughing. However, just as Tracy was about to ask if he had any drinks, they heard someone shout, "HEY! WHAT YOU DOING HERE?"_

_Max jumped up, quickly grabbing all of their possessions, and through them into the Van. Tracy jumped in the passenger side quickly, and Max in the driving side, and he started up the engine, as a figure became slightly visible. _

_Max sped away, both of them laughing loudly._

_"I told you it's private land," she wheezed, holding onto her stomach._

_"And I told you to chill out!"_

Tracy smiled at the memory. It had been near the beginning of their relationship, almost 10 years ago. "Wow," she thought, shaking her head. "10 years."

"You okay?"

Tracy jumped and turned around, to see Ted standing behind her.

"Oh yeah I'm fine, just wanted to get abit of air, that's all," she said, turning back to look at the sky.

Ted walked forward and stood beside her. "We're going now, Marshall and Lily don't wanna stay out too late because of the big moving day tomorrow."

"Right, right, well I'm probably gonna head home too," she said, glancing towards him. "I am pretty tired."

"Do you want me to walk you?" He offered.

"No, it's okay, Kelly's got her car, she'll probably drop me off," she told him, nodding.

"Oh alright. Well, I'll see you around?"

"Yeah sure, we can meet during the week for a drink or dinner or something?" She asked.

"Sounds good," he said, smiling. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

He leaned in and gently kissed her lips, and she kissed him back, her hands moving up to his shoulders. They kissed for a minute or two, until she heard someone clear there throat, and they pulled apart.

Lily, Marshall and Kelly were all standing behind them, looking fairly amused.

Tracy smiled, a little red.

"Have a nice time in Italy," she said to Lily and Marshall, hugging both of them.

"Oh, we will, have a nice time here," Lily told her, raising an eyebrow mischeviously, shooting mini glances towards Ted, who was saying goodbye to Kelly.

Tracy rolled her eyes. "I will. We'll be waiting for you when you come back with this little girl."

"GUY!" Marshall yelled.

Lily smiled and called out, "Yes, guy honey!"

But everyone knew it was a girl.


	8. Talking

A/n: Thanks to everyone who reviewed! Thanks to for all your reviews! I did mention you in the a/n in the last chapter, but for some reason, it didn't come up after I had published the chapter :/ sorry for that! Anyway, here's chapter 8! Enjoy!

Chapter 8: Talking

"No! I have said- I am not moving to Chicago! Yes I am sure- No I don't care if you find someone else! Yes! I am not taking this job! I have said a million- Well, it's not my fault if you didn't get the message until today! I rang up! No. No! I have to- Goodbye!"

With that, Ted hung up the phone, his face red with anger. For half an hour, he had been on the phone trying to get it across to who would have been his boss that he was _not _moving to Chicago and he _wouldn't _be anytime soon. Truth be told, the man on the end of the phone did not seem to understand what _"I am not moving to Chicago"_ meant.

All in all, he hadn't really wanted to move to Chicago in the first place, but he thought that he had needed a change of scenery, and that maybe his future Mrs Mosby was not in New York. However, meeting Tracy had been the light he had been looking for, and was just the beginning of why he longed to stay in New York. He needed New York. It was his home.

It was Monday, his first day on his own. He was only going to be on his own until Sunday, when Robin and Barney arrived home from their honeymoon, but he was already feeling lonely without his gang of friends. If he _had _moved to Chicago, he would have been on his own for a lot longer than just a week, and would have been very much alone.

The day before, he had dropped Marshall and Lily off at the airport, along with Mickey and Marvin. It had been an emotional time, and he wouldn't see them in person until christmas, which was a whole 7 months away. Lily had promised to skype him however, and that kept his spirits up slightly. He still wondered how on Earth he was going to survive without Marshall and Lily, how his whole day usually consisted on seeing one of them. He shook his head as he remembered their goodbye.

_"Have fun in New York Ted," Lily whispered, wiping her eyes. She was blubbering slightly, and it was due to his greatest efforts that he didn't start laughing in her face. Afterall, it was supposed to be serious._

_"I will, but I doubt I'll have as much fun as I did with you," he told her honestly, as he pulled her into a big hug. He gently rubbed her back, and he felt her sob into his shoulder._

_He pulled away, and kissed her cheek, before turning to Marshall._

_"Wow dude, it's like the Wedding all over again," Marshall said, running a hand through his hair._

_"I know, right," Ted said with a laugh._

_"Just, say cool, yeah? And hey, keep that girl around? She's nice. Oh, and look after our apartment, I expect a refridgerator full of food when I get back," Marshall told him, somewhat seriously._

_"Okay Man, full of food it is!"_

_"Good," Marshall aded with a smile._

_"FINAL BOARDING CALL FOR PLANE 30475 TO ROME!"_

_It echoed around the crowded room, and Ted knew what it meant._

_"Well, goodbye buddy," He said, kissing the top of Marvin's head. He looked up to Mickey. "By, have a nice time."_

_Lily grabbed Ted in another strong hug, and he choked on air, having a minor coughing fit. She pulled back, and smiled apologetically._

_He then had one last hug with Marshall._

_"This is it," Marshall said, as they all stood still. "This is goodbye. We won't see you in person until christmas."_

_"Hey, it's only 7 months!" He said, trying to cheer them up, but it wasn't working._

_They all knew that their lives had changed dramatically._

His phone started ringing again, and Ted frowned in anger. Was this guy really ringing again? Seriously?

Without even looking at who was calling, he answered the phone.

"Look!" He said, furiously. "I am not moving to Chicago anytime soon, nor will I ever move to Chicago, so you can stop calling me and leave me al-"

"Ted?"

Ted paused. It was a women's voice. Not just any women's voice. It was Tracy's voice. Tracy was the one who was on the other line.

"Ted, I understand you are not moving to Chicago, but I think screaming at me to stop calling you is a little harsh, don't you think?"

Ted sighed, laughing slightly, his anger suddenly fading away. "Sorry, I thought it was someone else, I didn't mean to shout down the phone at you."

"Oh no, it's fine.. But, seeing as you are _not _moving to Chicago anytime soon, do you fancy meeting up for a drink?"

"Sure, sure... meet you at MacLaren's in half an hour?"

"Yeah, see you soon."

He hung up, his head falling into his hands. He really wished he had looked at the caller before answering the phone. He could not believe that he had screamed down the phone at Tracy. Out of all things that could have happened, he had to scream at her, didn't he? It could have blown his chances. She could have hung up, right then, and he could have ruined every chance he had ever had with her. However, she didn't hang up, and chose to actually make a joke out of the whole thing, which he appreciated greatly. He would have died if he had actually blown it. What would he have said to Lily? She wouldn't have spoken to him in a million years, and then another million after that.

He stood up, and quickly changed his shirt, thinking that his old stain covered t-shirt wasn't nearly suitable for meeting a pretty girl. He then pulled on his shoes, and grabbed his jacket, before leaving his apartment.

When he arrived, she was already sitting up by the bar on a stool, drinking a gin and tonic through a lime green straw. Her hair was tied up in a high ponytail, and she was wearing jeans and a white and green striped polo top. It was casual, and like when she had emerged from her room wearing sweat-pants and a sweater, Ted was happy that she didn't seem to think she had to go all out for him.

"Hey," she said, slipping off the stool as he came closer to her.

"Hi," he replied, giving her a quick hug.

"You alright? You sounded a little annoyed on the phone," she said, with a chuckle, as she sat back down.

He sat on the stool beside her, shaking his head. "I was planning to move to Chicago after the wedding, but I changed my mind and decided not to and the guy I was supposed to be working for doesn't seem to understand that," he said bitterly.

"Oh right," she laughed, sipping from her straw again. "Why'd you change your mind?"

He shrugged. "I think there is still some stuff I've left unfinished in New York," he said honestly, not wanting to tell her that his unfinished stuff was dating her.

"Oh. Well, I use to live in Chicago when I was a kid, and trust me, New York's _sooo_ much better."

"You use to live in Chicago?" He said, slightly shocked.

"Yeah, I lived there until I was 18, but then I decided to move here; I moved in with my child-hood bestfriend Kelly, who you met, into an apartment; the apartment that I still live in, actually."

"Wow, awesome, why'd you move here?"

"Y'know, New York, the place where dreams come true."

"Yeah, I suppose."

"Yeah, what about you? Have you always lived in New York?"

"Naa, I was born in Ohio, and I moved here after College with Marshall and Lily; Lily got her own place and me and Marshall bought a place together. Of course, I moved out when Lily and Marshall got married." To be fair, the true tale was a little more complicated than that. but he didn't want to bore her with every minor detail. "But anyway, New York is my home."

Tracy nodded. "That's cool. So, did you know Marshall from Ohio?"

"Marshall? No, he was born in Minnesota. We met at college actually, and that's where Marshall and Lily met and started dating."

He ordered a beer, and a plate of Nachos, as he felt a little peckish.

"Wow, they were together a long time," she noted, raising her eyebrows.

"Yeah, well they had one rough patch were they broke up for like one summer, but no one really counts that. I mean, you're not gunna say they were together for 9 years, broke up for a few months, then were together for 7 years? Naa, we just say 16 years together, it sounds better."

"That's very true. And besides, everyone has a rough patch, right?"

Ted nodded, taking a sip of his beer as Carl placed it down. "I suppose. So anyway, how have you been since Saturday night?"

"Alright. I was suppose to be going out with Kelly today, but she bailed on me; Jared surprised her last night by taking her away for the week."

"That's nice."

"I suppose. I didn't do much yesterday though, but I was on the phone to my sister for a while; apparently she's decided to move to Florida."

"Really?" He had wanted to visit Florida again, ever since he had went there on vacation when he was younger. Of course, he had told himself that he would go there, but he had never ended up going.

"Yeah, she'll live further away, but I guess she wants to move for her family and that, after all, her husband Jared got offered a big job there."

"Cool. What does he do?"

"He's an engineer."

"That's cool; my sister Heather was married to an engineer for 5 days..." He said casually, and Tracy's eyes widened.

"5 days?"

"Yeah, well she was never the settle down type."

"Woah."

"Yeah. So, what are you doing at the moment? Job wise," he asked. To be honest, they hadn't really spoken alot about their lives like they were doing then.

"Oh, I'm still getting my Economics degree; I finish this September actually," she said, with a sigh.

"Yeah, right I still can't believe you were in the class I 'accidently' took," he muttered, running a hand through his hair, embarrassed.

"It was good! I thought your shellfish joke was _very _funny," she said, smiling.

"You laughed at that? I didn't think anyone did," he said, with a smirk.

"Oh no, I thought it was really funny! I remember Cindy giving me a strange look though."

Ted laughed. "Well, yeah. What are you going to do after you've got your degree?"

"I dunno. I mean, the whole reason I wanted to get my degree was because I want to end world poverty, so I suppose I'll go into something to do with that, maybe work with a company that helps less-developed countries; I have thought of writing a book about it though, but I doubt I'll ever do that."

"That's interesting, and hey, you could write a book. A few years ago, I dreamt of being a top architect and I never thought it would happen, but look; I designed the G&B national bank building!"

"Oh right, I heard that! Not that it matters, but I think you did a wonderful job."

"Thank you very much," he exclaimed.

His Nachos arrived, and they shared them, talking more about work and jobs and friends, and it was very comfortable. They both seemed to talk to one another so freely without even realizing it. And the thing that surprised him was that she actually seemed interested in what he was saying.

They finished eating, and Ted ordered both of them another drink. She smiled happily as he handed her her refreshment.

"So, when are Robin and Barney getting back?"

"Sunday," he said.

"Oh, where have they gone?"

He shrugged. "I dunno, he wouldn't tell any of us."

She seemed shocked.

"What, why?"

Ted laughed. "He had his reasons."

"What are they?"

He swallowed. "Well, he wouldn't tell Lily because Lily has a big mouth and she probably would have blurted it out to Robin," he said casually.

"Really? She doesn't seem that sort of person."

"Oh, she is. Whatever you say to her, everybody finds out. For example, I know how you called me a nerd for the way I want to see landmarks and historical sites when I travel, and how I have 'driving gloves'," he told her, shaking his head as he laughed.

"I'm sorry, really, I possess all of them things, I just didn't want to annoy her even more," she whispered, as if Lily would hear her.

"Oh, it's fine."

"So, why wouldn't Barney tell Marshall?"

"Because Marshall can't keep anything from Lily; he tells her everything and anything. So if Barney told Marshall, Marshall would have told Lily-Big-Mouth and Robin would know."

"Oh. Why wouldn't he tell you?"

"Three reasons. No. 1: I love the place he is planning to take Robin, due to all the historical landmarks, and I badger him about going and seeing them, providing him with leaflets of the places he can visit. I annoy him with my love of history, and he has a break down."

"Woah," Tracy said, laughing. "Sounds about right."

"Yes. Reason No. 2: I hate the place, and I try and persaude him to change his mind. Either, I might bring up things about the creatures there are there, or how horrible the people are, and make him think he has made a wrong choice."

"No. 3?"

"No. 3: I am so excited about where he is planning to take Robin, that all I do is talk about it and talk about it, in front of anyone,. I talk about the place so much, that Lily picks up that the place is where Barney is taking Robin for their honeymoon, and BOOM! Everyone knows."

Tracy nodded, slightly impressed. "Wow, I see why.. You're friends are certainly interesting."

Ted laughed. "I know right. But I wouldn't change it for the world. Each of them have helped me in a way, whether it's looking after me when I'm sick, or buying me a beer."

Tracy smiled, placing her hand on top of his. "I'm glad I met you," she said, and he could see the honesty flow off her tongue.

"I'm glad I met you too," he replied.

She leant in and softly kissed him. The kiss was only short, and they both pulled away after a few seconds, Ted feeling giddy.

"Do you wanna go for a walk in Central Park?"

"Sure."

They walked along, hand in hand, talking about anything and everything. The topics just got randomer and randomer, until Tracy burst out laughing.

"How did we get from 'The weather's nice' to 'a dogs tongue looks like bacon'?" She asked, looking up at him.

He laughed. "I don't know; they aren't two subjects that are similar."

"Not, they are certainly _not _similar," she laughed.

"I don't know, it's just really easy to talk to you, y'know?"

She smiled, interlacing her fingers with his. "I think I know," she murmured, leaning into him.

He kissed her forehead.

"Do you know what the time is?" She asked, yawning.

"Erm, it's.." he glanced down towards his watch. "4:30."

"Oh, I should head home; my Mom said she's calling at 5:30, and when she says she going to call, she's going to call."

"Okay," he said, smiling. A thought entered his head, and before his brain had registered it, the words tumbled out of his mouth. "Do you want to come over for dinner tomorrow?"

"Sure," she replied. "What time?"

"6?" He asked.

"Right..where do you live?"

"Oh, it's Apartment 15, 521 West 82nd street."

She looked at him blankly. "You might have to text me that one."

"Alright," he chuckled.

They walked out of the park, and onto the street.

"I'll see you tomorrow," she said, giving him a hug.

"Yeah, see you tomorrow."

He kissed her cheek, and she raised an eyebrow, before kissing his lips quickly.

"Goodbye, and thanks for the drink," she whispered.

"No problem."

"Goodbye."

"Goodbye."

Why was it, that saying goodbye to her was so difficult? He didn't know, but he doubted it was going to get any easier.


	9. Late Night telephone calls

A/N: Thanks to everyone who is reviewing! I am really enjoying writing this story, and I love your feedback! If any of you feel that you want to suggest anything, I'm all ears! If there is anything you would like to see happen revolving Ted and Tracy or anyother characters, please tell me and I will try and write it in! Even if it's something small, and you say where you want the happy couple to go on a date, or anything like that, I will try and include your ideas! Keep reviewing, and make suggestions, and I'll do my best!

Chapter 9: Late Night telephone calls

Over the next week, Tracy McConnell barely went a day where she wasn't either in Ted's company (Monday, Tuesday, and Friday) or talking to him for hours at a time on the phone (Wednesday and Saturday). In fact, all they seemed to do was talk and talk and talk. They spoke about everything, and it seemed that in the short space of 5 days, she knew _everything there was to know about Ted Mosby, and she was under the _impression that he knew everything there was to know about her.

She knew so much, that she could right a page on him. She could make a list on Ted Mosby, and teach people about him, as if he were a school subject.

_Ted Mosby_

_Born: April 25, 1978 (age 35)_

_Place of birth: Shaker Heights, Ohio_

_Full name: Theodore Evelyn Mosby _(She begged and begged him until he finally told her his middle name)

_Mother's name: Virginia Mosby_

_Father's name: Alfred Mosby_

_Sister's name: Heather Mosby _(Heather Ryans for 5 days)

_Religion: Raised as a Catholic_

_Occupation: Architect _(designer of the G&B building and a professor for a few years)

_Languages spoken: English, French and Spanish _(so he says)

_University: Wesleyan Graduate_

_Favourite film: Return of the Jedi, closely followed by Empire Strikes Back._

_Favourite food: Pizza_

_Favourite drink: Scotch_

_Favourite Animal: Dog_

_Bestfriend: Marshall Eriksen_

_Fan of: History and Science_

_Favourite T.V show: Woodworthy Manor_

Overall, she knew a lot about him, and it was surprising about how much she knew in such a short space of time. It was because, she assumed, how easily they could talk to eachother. However, it said something that she was remembering everything about him so easily, and she knew what it was deep down.

She was really falling for Ted Mosby.

She had known ever since she met him. She had known ever since their first date, and she hadn't wanted to say goodbye. She had known when they had fought over who paid, and then had a dramatic, yet not so dramatic, food-fight.

She was falling for Ted Mosby. And fast.

She couldn't deny it.

She knew it wasn't exactly a shock. She had felt the chemistry ever since he had spoke. Heck, she had felt something ever since Cindy had told her that he had a thing for her, when he hadn't even met her. She loved being in his company, and could well stay up all night on the phone with him (that had already happened several times).

The thing that shocked her most was how fast it had all happened. They had met two weeks ago, yet it felt as if he had been in her life forever. It was hard to think that before Robin and Barney's wedding, she had been in a relationship with another man, and Ted wasn't even in the picture. If she had known that he was only round the corner, she would never have started dating Louis. Then again, dating Louis did have its advantages; she had finally let Max go, something she had been meaning to do for years.

It was Sunday, and she had been speaking on the phone with Ted earlier, but he had reluctantly hung up when he had to leave; he was going to surprise Robin and Barney at the airport apparently, as they assumed that he had gone to Chicago.

She was currently laying on her couch, under her blanket, watching _'The Wedding Bride', _which she now knew was based on Ted and his relationship with his ex-fiance Stella. Although, she had discovered the true story, as Ted had explained how he was not like Jed Mosly in the film, and that the story was portrayed entirely wrong; for example, Stella never showed up to the wedding in real life, but in the film, she did and called it off during the wedding.

The film was coming to a close. She had loved the film, and the sequel, _The Wedding Bride too' _and was very happy to hear that _The Wedding Bride III, _was coming out later that month.

The film ended, and she grabbed her T.V remote, and turned the T.V off. It was quite late, around 10:30, and she picked herself up from her couch, and wandered into her room. She slipped off her clothes, and pulled over an old jumper she slept in, before crawling into her bed. The cool duvet was soft and inviting, and she curled up into it.

10 minutes later, when she was half asleep, she heard the ringing of her phone emerging from the living room. Groaning and yawning, she sat up, stretching out her arms, before reluctantly crawling out of her war, cocoon. She wandered pant-free into the room, and slumped down onto her couch, picking up her cell-phone in the process.

"Hello," she said, sounding fairly sleepy, as she tried to stifle a yawn.

"Hey," came Ted's voice, sweeping softly through the phone. She smiled. Only Ted would call her that late at night.

"Hi," she breathed into the phone.

"You okay? I'm sorry I called you this late, you're tired I can tell."

"Oh, no it's fine, I'm fine," she replied, waking up as she said the words.

"You sure? I can call you in the morning if it's easier."

"No, seriously it's fine, I'm up now, I'm up!"

"Okay," he said, and she could almost feel the smile on his face.

"Yeah, so did you pick Robin and Barney up from the airport alright?" She asked.

"Yeah, yeah, they were a little annoyed at first; Barney fully shouted at me when he realized I hadn't moved to Chicago. He yelled, "That goodbye was emotional Ted, you made me think I did not have a high-five partner anymore, you are a serious joker Ted Mosby and I hate you!""

"Woah, harsh. What about Robin?"

"Oh, she was surprised and slightly angry about me completely passing of the whole moving thing, but she forgave me enough to calm down Barney from screaming."

Tracy chuckled. "Well, that's good. So, they're happy you stayed in New York now?"

"Yeah, they are. We got a drink but then they were dead-beat, so we decided to call it a night."

"Oh, right... So, put and end to my misery, and tell me; where did they go on their honeymoon?" She wasn't exaggerating. For the remainder of the week, it had been killing her not knowing where Barney had taken Robin. She had speculated over every possibility, but she wouldn't be satisfied until she knew the correct answer.

"They went to three different places. Stop No. 1 was Barcelona, and they stayed there for 5 days. Stop No. 2 was Marrakech, and they stayed there for 4 days. Stop No. 3, and the final stop, was Rio De Janeiro, and they stayed there for 5 days."

"Wow, quite a selection of the hot places, huh?"

"Yeah, I know right? Pretty cool though, going to 3 places," he said, and she could imagine him daydreaming.

"Yeah.. so was he right not to tell you where they were going?"

"Yes. I mean, I love Barcelona, and I've never been to Marrakech so I would have loved to go there. As for Rio De Janeiro, I would have screamed at the top of my lungs; it's one of the placest I want to visit before I die," he said, and she laughed.

"That's cool; I've never been to Brazil, I'd love to go."

"Really? It's supposed to be really nice."

"Yeah.."

"What did you do tonight?"

"Oh, nothing much.. I watched The Wedding Bride tonight though... Did you hear Number 3 is coming out later this month?"

"Really? Hmm, when it comes out we could go see it?"

"Sure, I'd love that," she said, getting up off her couch, and wandering back into her room. As she laid down in bed, the phone, she felt like a teenage girl again, staying up late talking to that one special person, and it felt really nice.

"Yeah, I suppose I don't mind going to see it, not if I'm going with you."

She beamed at his words, her smile large. "Yeah, besides, I know the truth about the whole thing," she said, her free hand playing with her duvet.

"That's all that matters; I still can't believe they made that film, seriously.." She heard him sigh.

"Don't worry about it," she said softly. "When we see the third one, we'll laugh and laugh and laugh, I promise."

"Okay."

"What are you doing?"

"Nothing. Just laying on my couch, you?"

"Laying in my bed."

"Can I ask you something?"

"Technically you just did," she said, cheekily.

"No seriously," he said, and she was sure he had rolled his eyes.

"Okay, sure."

"You bought me that drink, right?"

"Drink..?"

"Yeah, y'know, the night before the wedding.. someone bought me a glass of Scotch, and Barney thinks it was you."

She laughed. "Yeah, it was me. After you punched Darren he left the band, so I was really happy with you."

"Right, right, thanks even if it is a bit late."

"No problemo," she replied. "You deserved it."

"Right, thanks."

"So, I guess your happy Robin and Barney are back?"

"Yeah, I am. But it's slightly weird, I mean, they're newly weds and everything."

"Well, yeah, I suppose, but they're your friends, it should be alright."

"It will be; I'm meeting them for drinks tomorrow night so we can fully talk about their honeymoon and everything; you wanna come?"

"Okay, sure, sounds nice."

"Great. You're in Barney and Robin's good books, you helped them a lot remember?"

"Yes, I remember."

"Good good. We're also planning to get through to Marshall and Lily on skype tomorrow, so that will be fun."

"Oh really? Wow, that will be great! I wonder how they are doing? I bet they are _loving _Rome. It's really great, I went there once when I was 16 with my parents and my sister," she said, smiling at the memory; it had been one of her favourite holidays, and the last with her dad, who sadly passed away a few months after.

"Really? Wow, it seems nice, well, what Lily was saying anyway before they left."

"Yeah, I can see them having the greatest time ever out there."

"I can too. I suppose I'll get use to not having them around, but it'll take a while."

"Oh yeah, of course it will, I mean, when Cindy moved out, I was all alone and everything, and I was desperate to get a room-mate, but I got use to living on my own, and hey! I like it better!" She paused. "Not that you're going to like being without Marshall and Lily, no. Wow, that was a bad-example."

"No, it was true," he laughed. "I guess I won't miss Marshall eating all my food, or Lily meddling in my life. Well, maybe I will, I don't know."

"I think it will take some time, and they will be back here before you know it, and it will be christmas."

"Yeah, I can't wait, this year sure has been good.. so far, so far, damn I hope I haven't jinxed it!"

She laughed. "Well, you've got the rest of the year, and hey, it might only get better."

"I think you could be right," he whispered, and her stomach filled with butterflies.

"Yeah, I think I could be too."

There was a silent pause, and her heart was racing. It was all quiet, until- BAM!

"Oh my God, what was that?" She asked, panicing slightly.

"Oh, don't worry, my foot was resting on my coffee table and I accidently knocked over a vase and it sort of broke."

"Wow, you're an idiot," she said, shaking her head and laughing.

"But...?"

"But you're a nice idiot."

"Thank you! You're a nice id-"

"Think about what you say next Mosby," she said, threateningly. "Think about it."

"Right, right, you're a nice.. _girl?"_

"I suppose that works," she smirked.

"Yeah. Well, I better go, I gotta clean up the smashed remains of my vase.._damn _I liked that one as well."

"Well, it's your own fault," she said, smiling.

"Yeah, well," he said, sighing. "Goodnight Tracy."

"Goodnight Ted."

"Night."

"Night."

She took the phone away from her ear, and hung up. She placed her cell-phone on her bedside table, before moving into her cocooned duvet. wrapping herself up warm.

And for the first time, in a very long time, she felt strangely lonely in her double bed.


	10. Tans and Sunburn

A/N: Here is chapter 10! I have never written Barney and Robin before, so I did my best :/ Thanks for those of you who have given me suggestions, keep a look out for them! You never know when they will appear :) Anyway, enjoy chapter 10!

Chapter 10: Tans and Sunburn

Ted sat in the bar, tapping away on his Ipad. He had brought it for when they were going to skype Marshall and Lily, but so far, he was the only one who had turned up. He knew Barney and Robin were most probably enjoying their new-marriage acts (like they did before), but he would have prefered to not be left sitting alone like a loner.

Tracy had rang earlier and arranged to meet Ted, Barney and Robin at 2, half an hour after Barney and Robin were due to meet Ted. However, by the way it was going, she would arrive before the happy couple would. According to the clock on his Ipad, it was 5 to 2, and he had been sitting abandoned for 25 minutes.

He was currently trying to pass time quickly by playing Candy Crush Saga, a game he was fairly addicted too. However, it didn't seem to help as good as he had hoped it would, as it just made him more angry when he couldn't pass a level. He was getting ready to fully through his Ipad across the bar, when he heard a voice a few meters away.

"Hi," Tracy said, sounding slightly breathless as she arrived at the booth, slipping her jacket off and placing it on the seat.

"Hi!" Ted said, happy that he was no longer alone. He exited Candy Crush and placed it on the table as he stood up, and gave Tracy a welcoming hug.

"Are Barney and Robin not meeting us anymore?" Tracy asked, as she slid in the booth, sitting opposite from him.

"They are, they should have been here," he glanced at the time on his Ipad. "28 minutes ago... but it looks as if they are here now."

Sure enough, Barney and Robin entered. They were very tanned, the visit to three hot countries paying off nicely. Barney, as usual, was wearing a suit, a dark blue one, with a lighter shade for his tie. He was looking very pleased with himself.

"Sorry, sorry," Robin said, as she rushed over, taking the seat beside Tracy. "Someone doesn't know what the word _'quickie'_ means." She shot Barney a dark look.

"Please, you weren't complaining 10 minutes ago," he said, rolling his eyes, dropping into the vacant space beside Ted.

Robin kicked him under the table, catching Ted's foot slightly.

"Oww! You do not kick your Husband, it's a criminal offence!"

Robin raised an eyebrow. "Criminal offence? You wanna know what a criminal offence is? How about stealing a kid's lolly-pop when he laughed at your suit!"

"My suit was perfect, and I didn't steal it! I just _burrowed _it without asking."

"Which is stealing!"

"Loom Robin, if y-"

"As much as this is _very _interesting, I would really like a drink; whose round?" Ted asked.

"Barney's, he made us late," Robin declared, smiling pleasantly as her husband.

"Fine, fine, what'd you want?"

"Erm, just a beer for me- what do you want Trace?"

Tracy looked up. "Oh, just a gin and t-"

"Bass Player girl?" Barney said, shocked, looking at Tracy for the first time since he had walked in the room. Tracy nodded, laughing.

"Barney, her name's Tr-"

"What are you doing here? Don't tell me you- Ted? What?" Barney was looking at the two of them completely shocked. His eyes kept flickering from one to the other. "You're dating?"

Ted glanced towards Tracy uneasily. They hadn't exactly talked about what they were. They were certainly acting like a couple; kissing, going on dates, staying up late on the phone, teasing. But they hadn't discussed their relationship status at all. They had both enjoyed how things had been going, Ted was sure of that, but he was unsure of what could happen. On their first date, Tracy had told him how she wasn't ready to go on dates, and he was unsure whether or not it had changed entirely; after all, she had just came out of a fairly serious relationship. However, would she had been meeting up with him and kissing him and doing all of that couple stuff if she didn't want to date him?

Barney was still looking at the two of them, confused as to why no one had answered his question. Robin was trying to capture his attention, but he seemed oblivious to her actions. Finally, she yelled, "Barney, can you please just get our drinks? One beer, one Gin and Tonic, one glass of Scotch and then whatever you're having."

"Wha-?"

Robin kicked him.

"Okay, okay." He shot Ted a look, before getting up and wandering over to the bar.

"So, Tracy, right?" Robin said, turning to Tracy. "We haven't been properly introduced; I'm Robin."

"Nice to meet you, and yeah, I'm Tracy," Tracy said with a smile, as they shook hands.

"I want to say thanks for what you did on the day of the wedding... that three breath thing really helped."

"Oh yeah! No, it was my pleasure! I mean, it always helps me calm down, and it's really good to help clear your head," Tracy said happily. "It's what my Mom use to always say to me and my Sister; a decision is right if you still want to do it after you've taken three deep breaths. It helps calm you down, and stops you doing anything drastic."

"Huh," Robin said, listening intently, before turning to Ted and smiling. "Did you listen to that Ted? Stops you doing anything _drastic. _That could come in handy for you!"

"Oh, very funny," Ted said, sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "I don't do anything _drastic _anyway."

Robin raised an eyebrow. "Oh really? What about the 'I love you' first date thing? Stealing a blue-french horn? Getting a tattoo? Oh wait! I have the best one! Having a sword fight which ended with Lily in hospital?"

"Okay, okay, I get it!" Ted muttered, ignoring Robin and Tracy's laughing. "But like you have never done anything completely crazy!"

"I haven't!"

"Umm, let me see? Two words; _Robin Sparkles!"_

Robin glared at him. "We do not speak of her!"

"Umm, whose _Robin Sparkles?_" Tracy asked, looking at the two of them confused.

"No-one," Robin answered quickly, but Ted spoke up.

"When Robin was in her teens, she was a Canadian Pop sensation that went by the name _Robin Sparkles. _She was quite a hit."

"I hate you, Ted Evely-"

"DRINKS!"

Barney was back, carrying 4 drinks. He put all of them onto the table together, and Ted picked up his own along with Tracy's. He handed it to her, and she smiled warmly, as she took a small sip.

"So, how was your honeymoon?" Tracy asked; he hadn't exactly got round to asking them the nigh before, due to Barney's constant screaming.

"It was great!" Robin exclaimed. "All of the countries were beautiful, esp-"

"The sex was great! 7 times a day!"

Tracy's mouth fell open in shock. "7 times a day?"

"And 10 times a night, high five!" Barney held up his hand, and very relucantly, Ted high-fived him, glancing towards Robin with caution as he did so. She didn't seem annoyed with Barney's comment at all, and instead laughed.

"Yeah, boy did we get some."

"So.. You just had sex the whole time? Interesting," Tracy said, bobbing her head. "Very interesting."

Barney grinned. "It was the dream."

"So, did you see any sites? Ted said you went to Rio de Janerio; did you see the Statue of Christ the Redeemer? It's worth the whole visit.. alone," Tracy said, nodding, taking another sip of her drink.

"Woah.. beware Robin, you're sitting next to another Ted," Barney muttered, looking at Tracy with slight interest. "And as for the whole 'statue' thing, no we didn't go see it. Who goes and sees a statue on their honeymoon?"

Robin glanced towards Tracy and then looked towards Ted. "Y'know, I think you're right... they are fairly similar, aren't they?"

"Erm, you guys, we are sitting right here," Ted announced, but Barney and Robin showed no sign that they had heard him.

"Yeah, if she has a coin collection and a love for the Renaissance period, they would be more or less the same person."

The look of pure shock on Tracy's face told Ted that both those statements were true, and he couldn't help but grin. They were right, him and Tracy _were _very similar.

A soft buzzing in Ted's jean pocket made him jump, before he realized he phone was ringing. He pulled his cell out, and looked at the number on the screen. It was a number he didn't recognize, and he answered it, hesitating slightly.

"Hello?" Tracy, Barney and Robin all turned to look at him, Barney mouthing, "Who is it?"

Ted waved a hand at him, indicating for him to stop.

"Hello, is this Ted Mosby?" A deep unfamiliar voice asked.

"Yes it is; how can I help you?"

"I am John Bluewater, head of Bluewater's marine sea-life company and television programme."

"Oh right, I've heard of you! I watch your show like.._ All the time."_

"Okay, well, we, my deputy and I, are planning to open up an Aquarium in New York."

"Okay.." Ted answered, thinking he knew where it was going.

"And we want you to be project manager of the team who are designing our building; we want _you _to design our Aquarium, Mr Mosby."

Ted's mouth fell open in shock. They wanted _him. _Sure, he had designed the G&B building, but designing an Aquarium? For Bluewater? That was a whole new journey, a journey he never thought he would embark on. He never would have thought he would be asked to do something like that. That was a dream.

"Wow, I am honoured by your offer Mr Bluewater," he said shocked.

"Does this mean you accept?"

"Yes! I mean, yes, I accept your offer!"

"Thank you Mr Mosby, we are delighted to hear that. Can we arrange a meeting to officially welcome you to our team, and sign all necessary paperwork?"

"Of course, of course!"

"How about next Saturday morning at 11? You know the address of the Bluewater office? 113th Street, West side?"

"Yes Sir."

"Thank you Mr Mosby, good day."

"Good day sir," he said, before hanging up the phone.

All three of them were staring at him, waiting for him to say something. After taking a long sip of his drink (his throat had gone strangely dry during the whole phone call), he cleared his throat and said:

"I've been offered to be project manager for the Aquarium Bluewater is building!"

They all stared at him in shock.

_"Bluewater?" _Robin said, her eyes wide. "You got offered a job for designing Bluewater's Aquarium? _Wow." _

"Well done!" Tracy exclaimed, reaching forward and taking his hand. _"Well done!"_

For 20 minutes, all they could do was talk and talk about how great Bluewater was. Even Barney, who first denied ever hearing of Bluewater, was soon talking about his favourite episode of the show ("And then, he just jumped! Right into the middle of the ocean, to save the Dolphin!")

Eventually, out of curiousity, Ted glanced down towards his Ipad, and saw that it was 10 past 3.

"SHIT!" He yelled. "We were supposed to skype Marshall and Lily 10 minutes ago!"

"Wow, I am so annoyed with myself; we are skyping them 10 minutes late!" Barney exaggerated, breaking down into pretend sobs, before jerking his head up, and saying, "Loser."

Shaking his head, Ted opened up Skype, and called Marshall and Lily. On the fifth ring, they answered, and Ted stood the Ipad up at the back of the table so everyone could see.

Lily appeared on the screen alone, a bright smile on her face.

"Hey guys!" She called out.

"Hey," they all said back.

"Marshalls' just putting Marvin back down, he kept waking up! Woah, Barney you are tanned!"

"Why thank you," Barney said, winking in Lily's direction, which earned him another kick under the table from Robin. "Hey! It's not my fault you don't tan!"

Robin blushed, folding her arms, muttering something that sounded like, _"I do too tan."_

Ted rolled his eyes. "How's Italy?"

"Great, just great. Our house is really lovely," Lily said, dreamily.

"Really? How's the weather?"

"It's hot! Really hot! Well, it was very hot yesterday, and you'll see how hot when you see Marshall.." Lily paused, looking behind her, before leaning into the screen. "He's a little sunburnt."

Barney burst out laughing. "Sunburt! He's... _woah."_

"Do not make any comments Barney, I'm warning you!" Lily hissed.

"What you gunna do, what you gunna d-"

"Slap him Robin," Lily said, raising an eyebrow.

"With pleasure," Robin muttered, slapping her Husband across the face.

"Robin, we're supposed to be a team!" Barney yelled.

"Yes, that's why you shouted 'Barney rules, one man team' when you beat me at Air Hockey in Barcelona."

Ted turned to Barney. "You beat her? Wow," he said, nodding, clearly impressed. No one had ever beaten Robin at Air Hockey.

"Hey guys!" Marshall appeared on the Ipad screen. His face was red, and it was clear he had spent too much time in the sun. His skin was slightly blotchy, and it even looked as if he had tried to put on some of Lily's foundation to cover the redness up; Barney coughed trying to cover up his laughter.

"Hi Marshall," Ted said, grinning at his best-friend. "Italy's good?"

"Yeah! Ted, there is the best Pizza here!" Marshall exclaimed. "The pepperoni..._mwah."_

"Really?"

"Really!"

"Better than Gozola's?"

"Er, yeah!"

"Awesome," Ted said, nodding approvingly.

"Hey, hey Marshall!" Barney called, his face lit up. "How's the _sun?"_

Marshall frowned. "The sun? Well, it's pretty hot if that's what you mean."

Barney giggled. "I bet you can just _feel _the _heat?"_

Lily frowned, sending Barney a rude look that he just ignored.

"Well, yeah, of course I can feel it, why would you ask suc- wait. Wait. You told them!" Marshall yelled, turning to Lily, who held her hands up in defence."

"To be fair, we would have guessed even if she hadn't," Tracy said honestly. "But yeah, she told us."

Barney laughed loudly.

"Robin hit him again!" Lily ordered, and Robin obeyed.

After a few minutes of watching Marshall and Lily argue on screen, Ted changed the subject.

"Have you been to the doctors yet, y'know, about the baby?"

"Marshall you're face is like a Toma- what? The doctors? Oh yeah, we went yesterday," Lily told them, elbowing Marshall in the ribs.

"How was it? When are you due?" Tracy asked, excitedly.

"The baby's fine! She's g-"

"You mean _he," _Marshall interrupted.

"-oing to be born around the beginning of January!"

"Wooh! Are you going to find out the sex of the baby?" Ted asked. He knew that Lily was probably right, as usually her gut feelings were correct.

"No, we already know," Marshall said. "That our baby is a boy, right Lily?"

"Right, of course!" Lily said, hastily, mouthing 'No!" when Marshall had turned away from her.

"Marshall, Marshall!" Barney called, giggling again.

"What?"

"You're a su-"

"If you finish your sentence, I will tell Robin to kick you in the balls, non-stop for an hour," Lily hissed, her eyes locked on Barney.

Barney swallowed uneasily, before saying, "You look great Marshall, I see no difference."

"Why thank you Barney."

"Guys, we're gunna have to go, Marvin's crying again; I think he wants the proper night-night song this time," Lily said, apologetically. "He refuses to sleep with it ever since we came here."

"Okay, well we'll talk to you later, yeah?"

"Yeah, talk to you later man," Marshall said.

"BYE!" Everyone shouted together, as Ted clicked the 'end call' button.

"Now, we're gunna go," Barney said, standing up, winking at Tracy.

Tracy just stared at him, and raised an eyebrow.

"Are we?" Robin asked, confused.

"Yeah, we have an appointment, remember?" He said, mischievously.

"Oh, right, by guys," Robin said quickly, standing up.

Barney winked again, before taking Robin's hand, and walking out.

Tracy watched them, before turning back to Ted. "He is one _weird _guy," she said, shaking her head.

"I know. Very weird," Ted replied, taking a sip of his beer. "I use to think he was part Alien."

Tracy considered it for a moment. "It wouldn't surprise me."

Ted laughed. "Yeah, but I wouldn't have him any other way."

"Ted," she said, after a few minutes of silence.

"Uh-huh," he replied.

"When Barney asked if we're dating.. why didn't you say anything?"

He looked at her closely.

"I didn't know what to say," he said, honestly. "We haven't really spoken about it, have we?"

She shook her head. "No, I suppose we haven't.. do you _want _to date me? You know, officially?" She asked.

Ted paused, before nodding. "Yes, I do. I just.. I really _do _like you."

She smiled happily, taking one of his hands. "I really like you too."

His face lit up.

"You, you want to date me? Officially? I just, I know you've just come out of a relationship and everything-"

"I do want to date you, Ted," she replied. "I wouldn't be spending so much time with you if I didn't want to; I know on our first date I said I wasn't ready, but things have changed. I don't want to wait around, I want to be with you."

"Really?"

"Really," she murmured.

"So, you want to be official?"

"Official," she agreed.

"So, you're my girlfriend now?"

"I'm your girlfriend now."

"And I'm your boyfriend now?"

"You're my boyfriend now," she laughed.

"Great," he said happily. "Great!"

He leaned over and kissed her, and she kissed him back.

That day really had been _great._


	11. Worst, First and Cursed

A/N: Sorry it's been so long since I updated! My computer freaked out last week, and it's been a while since I've been able to get on the internet! I'm very sorry, and I'll be posting when I can, but please, don't think I've given up on this! My Updates might be less frequent as I am getting a new computer next week, but I have not stopped! This story means a lot to me! Anyway, I hope you like this chapter, ignoring the fact it's very late! The whole 'Worst, First and Cursed' thing was invented by me and my friends a couple of years ago, and I decided it might fit into the story fairly well. Well, for this chapter atleast. Also, if you had made any suggestions, they will slowly begin to show as of the next chapter! Keep given suggestions, I'm all ears! Thanks again!

Chapter 11: Worst, First and Cursed

"How many dresses are we going to have to look at before you try one on?" Tracy asked, as she followed Kelly through a wedding dress store. It was Wednesday, and Kelly had dragged Tracy off to look La Rose, a French Wedding Dress store on the West side. All the dresses were perfect, beautiful, the silk material embroided with patterns of lillies and roses. The were hundreds, each with it's own unique style, and Tracy had found herself longing after several of them.

Yet, for some reason, the 'bride to be' didn't seem to have an interest in any of them.

"I told you, I only plan on trying one dress on, and it has to be pefect," Kelly explained, as she stopped to look at a pure white strapless dress. She felt the silk, before shaking her head and walking off.

"Do we have to do this now? You haven't even booked a date yet," Tracy muttered. Truth be told, looking at Wedding dresses not long after she had declined a proposal was a slightly strange feeling. Not that she regretted her choice. She was with Ted now, officially being his girlfriend for four days, and she was happy. However, the thought that it could have been her planning _her _wedding made her feel slightly dizzy.

"For your information, we have picked a date," Kelly told her, rolling her eyes. "We decided last night."

Tracy's eyes widened. "Really, when is it?"

"November 1st."

"Wow. Well, we still have time. You should be looking for a place to get married before buying your dress." It was only June.. that meant it was around 4 and a half to 5 months until the big day.

"Oh, Jared's taken care of that; we're going to get married at a nice hotel down in the country called 'La Fleur' It's French."

Tracy stared open-mouthed at her best-friend. "Woah, you're going French," she said, looking around the shop. "So, when did this happen?"

"Last night. We had serious wedding planning after dinner; I started writing out the guest list, and we'll send the invitations off by next week at the latest."

"Cool, so how many people are coming?"

Kelly had stopped, and was looking at a pretty dress with sequins along the neckline. For a moment, Tracy thought she had found the dress, but then Kelly walked off again.

"Well, we're inviting about 50 people, y'know, all my family and friends, then his family and friends, etc. But everyone has got the chance to bring a guest."

"Right, right," Tracy said.

"So, will you be bringing anyone? Ted for instance?"

Tracy laughed awkwardly, wringing her hands. "I don't know.. I mean, we are official.. but I don't want to freak him out by inviting him to a wedding that's in November! We've been official for _four _days.. Sure, we've technically been together longer, but who knows where we'll be in November."

Kelly nodded. "Yeah, I know.. Well, tick plus one and when it's get closer to the time, ask him. Or casually slip it into conversation one day, and see how he reacts. Honestly, you two are _so_ alike, I can see him sticking around for a while; I've met him once and I couldn't believe how he was looking at you; it was the same way Max looked at you."

Tracy smiled, blushing slightly. "Yeah, he's really nice. I feel like.. like he's the reason I've been holding out for so long.. I don't know, it's weird."

"Well, I'll say one thing; the only time I've ever seen you like this, is when you were with Max."

Tracy sighed. "I know. I can just sense that he's... he's special. He was the guy who took my Umbrella for God's sake! Really, isn't that a sign?"

"It could be.. but you know what they say; it's only a sign if you want it to be, and right now, you want it to be."

They continued looking around, every now and then, Kelly pausing to look at a dress. The dresses were very nice, and a few times she found herself imaging she was wearing one. She had always, _always, _wanted to get married. It was her childhood dream. She had picked out dresses and locations when she was younger, and she had dreamt of getting married in a grand castle.

However, she had also dreamed of getting married to the perfect guy. She never, ever, thought of marrying Louis, and when he had proposed, it had shocked her entirely. The only guy she had ever thought of getting married to was Max, and that was because she thought he was 'the one'.

As she touched a cream coloured dress, the thought of marrying Ted entered her mind. She blushed and shook it off. _"4 days Tracy," _she told herself. _"4 days."_

After an hour and a half of looking at endless numbers of dresses, Kelly finally accepted that 'her dress' wasn't in that store.

"Maybe we should try an-"

"NO!" Tracy yelled. "Please, no! Kelly, I love you, but no, I am not looking at any more dresses! If I see one more dress, I will die! I will grab the nearest sharp object or whatever, and stab it through my chest, blood pouring out over your ha-"

"Okay, okay, calm down, no more dresses!" Kelly said, looking fairly disgusted. "I get it!"

"Thank you!" Tracy said, breathing a sigh of relief. "Thank you so much!"

"Do you want to get a drink?"

"That would be perfect."

Kelly rolled her eyes, before linking her arm with Tracy's and marching them off down the street. They entered a small cafe, and Tracy sat down while Kelly paid for their coffees; it was the least she could do after dragging her around all morning.

They drank, and as usual, Kelly bombarded Tracy with talk of wedding cakes, wedding dresses, colour themes, and flowers. It was slightly boring, and Tracy was imagining what she could be doing at home, maybe on the phone with Ted, when Kelly shook her hand to get her attention.

"Sorry, what?"

Kelly rolled her eyes. "I asked you what colour dress you want to wear, you know, for my wedding, seeing as your dress will most probably be the colour theme, y'know?"

"Oh, right, errm, I dunno, green? I like green. Emerald green. With a white sash as like a belt around the middle," Tracy suggested. Her two favourite colours were green and yellow, and she doubted very much Kelly would agree to yellow. However, yellow could also be nice.. but not for Kelly. No, not for Kelly.

Kelly frowned. "Hmm emerald green? Y'know.. that might work! Jared's eyes are like, an emerald green, it will be perfect!"

"Cool."

"Are you okay, you don't really seem with it today?" Kelly asked her, looking at her concerned.

"I'm fine, just a bit tired."

"Oh, are you sure?"

"Positive. Listen, do you mind if I dash? I just really need to get home and relax and study and everything, and my mind is going to explode if I hear any more wedding talk."

Kelly smirked. "Oh, okay, well, I'll call you later?"

"Right."

Tracy stood up, and gave Kelly a quick hug, before leaving out the door. The air was slightly chilly, and she regretted not wearing a coat like Kelly did. She wrapped her arms around her body, as she walked the three blocks home.

When she arrived in her flat, the first thing she did was pull on her sweat-pants and over-sized blue sweater, before grabbing a bowl of chips and her lap-top. She was supposed to be graduating from Columbia University at the end of August, if she was lucky. She had finished her exams at the beginning of May, and had one last essay to complete until she was 'work free'.

She hadn't really considered what she wanted to do once she had gotten her degree. It had to be something to do with helping to cancel out World Poverty. But where could she go? It wasn't as if she was going to end poverty over night, she would have to start at the bottom and work her way up, that was the way life worked.

Ted was an example. He had told her how for years he had done nothing, not being given a single chance, and now? He designed the Goliath National Bank building, and heck, he was now designing an Aqaurium for Bluewater! Things might take time, but she had faith her hard work was to pay off; she just _knew _it. One day, World Poverty was going to end, and she was going to be able to say, "Hey! I helped do that!"

Her phone rang, making her jump. She set aside her lap-top, swallowing quickly the chips she had in her mouth which sent her into a slight coughing fit. After calming herself down, clearing her throat _many _times, she answered her cell.

"Hello?"

"Hey Trace," Ted's voice said.

She smiled, leaning back.

"Hey, how are you?"

"I'm good, you? How was Wedding Dress shopping?"

Tracy sighed. "Rubbish. She is really picky. I mean, really picky. I don't know how she decided a date and place for the Wedding last night."

"Woah, she picked a date? When?"

"November 1st."

"Cool. Where is it going to be?"

"At some French hotel called 'La Fleur'. It's down in the country."

"Really? I've heard of that! It's supposed to be _very _romantic."

"Hmm, yeah I sort of thought that since the hotel translates as, _'The Flower'."_

"Yeah. Well, it's certainly a nice place to tie the knot!"

"Hmm. So, how was your day? What have you done?"

"Not much; I ran into that guy, Darren, the one I punched? Luckily he didn't recognize me; I doubt I could have handled him again," Ted chuckled, but she could hear the truth and doubt in his voice.

"I bet you could have! He's all talk Darren, but no walk."

"I suppose. Oh, and I met Barney and Robin for a drink; Barney started playing, 'Worst, First and Cursed' for like the hundreth time; I don't think he understands that my answers never change? Well, my Worst has changed since a few months ago and I heard Robin's today which I have never heard before, and I have to say they were quite interesting."

"Okay... Ted?"

"Yeah?"

"I don't want to sound stupid.. but what's _'Worst, First and Cursed'?"_

"Oh right! Sorry! It's this game Marshall invented last year. Ask me my _'Worst, First and Cursed',_ and I will explain as I go along."

"Okay.. Ted, what's your Worst, First and Cursed?"

"Right. 1. _Worst. _The Worst girl I have ever dated or been in a relationship with, has to be... Jeanette. Not only did she stalk me for a year, set a fire at the college, and intercept my mail, but she also made me completely _blind."_

"Oh.. first?"

"First. 1. First girl who was my girlfriend was Emily Gul in 2nd grade; we went to the playground together. First girl I ever slept with: Molly, who never called me after. First girl I was ever in a serious relationship with: Karen."

"Okay.. Cursed?"

"Cursed. The 'Cursed' option is a girl _or boy _that you really don't want to see. If you ever saw them again, you would swear or rather, _curse,_ out loud. It might be because of a bad break-up or whatever. I suppose I have to say mine is Victoria, due to how we ended things; with her crying, and me sitting there. Yeah, I do _not _want to see her."

"Oh, I think I get it!"

"Cool! What are yours?"

Tracy considered it for a moment. "Right. Worst. The worst boy I ever dated was Thomas Murphy in Freshman year of High school. It started off really good, but then he got super clingy, started following me everywhere, and even punched my cousin Simon, because he thought I was cheating on him."

"Wow. He was clingy."

"Yup. First. First boyfriend was in third grade with a boy called Justin Green. First boy I ever slept with was Max. And first boy I was ever in a serious relationship was either Jack Locke in my Junior year or Max. I suppose Max."

"Okay, what about cursed?"

"Louis. I cannot see him again, not after _that._ He was very nice and a perfect gentleman when we were dating, but I cannot see him again. The last time I saw him didn't go down very well."

Ted sighed. "Yeah, I remember."

Tracy chuckled. "That's a cool game I suppose."

"Yeah, and hey! We learnt more about eachother by playing!"

"Yes we did!"

"I know your cousin Simon is a cousin and nothing else!"

"And I know that you don't like someone intercepting your mail!"

"Yeah, because I really had to tell you that!"

Tracy laughed. "Do you want to come over tonight? I could order in pizza, and we could have a movie night; American Pie is on!"

"Okay, sure. Do you want me to pick up a Pizza on my over?"

"Yeah, sounds good. Oh, and Ted?"

"Yeah?"

She took a deep breath. Hold it together, you can do this. There's nothing to be embarrassed about. He's your boyfriend. Just ask him if he wants to stay over. No. Too forward. Hmm. How about 'My bed's comfy?' No. 'What do you like for breakfast?' No. Wait!

"Could you get me some milk? You'll need it if you want a coffee in the morning." Yes, that's good. Not too forward.

There was a slight pause.

"Sure, I'll get you some milk."

"Thanks."

She hung up, smiling to herself.

It was going to be a good night.


	12. Lily and the Willow Tree Girl

A/N: Back again :) Updates should be more frequent, no longer than a week! Things are going to speed up now! The only reason I've been taken it slow so far is because I wanted to capture the beginning of Ted and Tracy's relationship, as we didn't see much of it :/ Anyway, I'd also like to recommend a story on here! It's by AspiringWriterGirl and is called _'How Pippa Met Him'. _If you haven't looked at it yet, do please take a look! I promise, you shouldn't be dissappointed! Anyway, here's chapter 12!

* * *

Chapter 12: The Story of Lily and the Willow Tree Girl

Ted lowered the phone from his ear, his mouth dry. He was staying over. He was _staying over. _He assumed that was what she was implying. Afterall, her exact words were, _"Can you get me some milk? You'll need it if you want a coffee in the morning." _She wouldn't have put the last bit in if she didn't want him to stay over. Sure, she hadn't exactly asked him, and he hadn't exactly said yes, but he knew that he wasn't going home until the next day.

He pulled on his jacket, grabbing his phone and wallet.

He was staying over.

He pulled open his door, and then shut it, locking it behind him, making sure it was secure.

He was staying over.

He wandered down the hall, and out the door of his apartment building; the chilly air met him pleasantly.

He was staying over.

He walked down to the shops, and bought her the milk she had asked for. Semi-skimmed. He hoped that was okay.

He was staying over.

He bought a large Pepperoni Pizza, and a six pack of beers, before hopping into a cab and telling the driver Tracy's address.

He was staying over.

The cab pulled up along Tracy's apartment building, and he got out quickly, his heart beating quicker and quicker. His eyes were fixed on the building before him.

He was staying over.

Taking deep breaths, he somehow found his way up the stairs and along the hall to Tracy's apartment. The door, 7A, looked strangely far away as he walked towards it, and it seemed to take his forever to finally reach it, but eventually, he was standing there, his fist clenched, ready to knock on the door.

He swallowed uneasily, as he raised his fist.

He knocked on the door three times.

After a few seconds, the door popped open, and Tracy stood in the doorway, wearing nothing but a pink bath robe.

"Sorry," she breathed, as she gestured for him to enter. "I was just getting changed, thanks for the milk, put it in the refridgerator, I'll be two secs."

Ted wandered into the cosy apartment. He smiled as he noticed the small yellow bus on the side, and his smile grew wider when he saw Tracy's Yellow Umbrella leaning against the coat stand. His fingers brushed it, the small symbol of hope that he had come to care for, the sign that he hadn't seen.

He pulled off his jacket, hanging it up, before kicking off his shoes. He then placed the pizza box and the six pack of beers on the small coffee table, before wandering into the kitchen and putting away the milk. He started looking around the cupboards for two plates, and smiled happily when he opened the one on the upper left and found them.

He carried the plates back in, settling them on Tracy's small coffee table with the pizza and the beers in front of the TV. He sat down, humming a gentle tune, something very similar to Star Wars, when the door to Tracy's room opened, and she exited, wearing a plain red t-shirt and grey sweat pants, her hair tied up in a high pony tail.

She switched on the TV, grabbing the remote, as she flopped down beside him.

"I thought we'd watch _American Pie_; it use to be one of my favourites a few years ago, and I haven't seen it in a while. I still haven't seen _'American Reunion'." _

"Yeah, that's fine; I've actually never seen it," Ted replied, as the opening credits began.

Her mouth opened in shock, her eyes wide.

"You've never seen_ American Pie_?"

"Nope," he said, grinning.

"Why?" She looked positively shocked.

Ted chuckled. "For the same reason I stopped watching _'Buffy the Vampire Slayer'."_

Tracy frowned, raising an eyebrow. "What's that reason?"

"Lily."

"Lily?" Tracy looked utterly confused, and Ted couldn't blame her. So he decided to tell her the story; the story of _'Lily and the Willow Tree Girl.'_

It had actually happened a few years back, in 2000 actually, just after Ted Marshall and Lily had moved to New York.

* * *

_"Hey Guys!" The door opened, and Lily wandered in, carrying a bag of chinese food in her hand. _

_"Hey Lil!" Ted called, waving his right hand in greeting._

_Marshall got up off the couch, and gave Lily a quick kiss, murmuring 'Hello' before taking the chinese off her. She smiled at her appreactively, and kissed his cheek, then walked into the kitchen to grab a beer._

_"What you guys watching?"_

_"Oh I dunno," Ted muttered, sighing, as he flicked through the TV channels. "Nothing's on, nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing, not- HEY! BUFFY'S ON! I COMPLETELY FORGOT!"_

_"Erm, what?" Lily asked, dropping into a vacant space on the couch._

_"Buffy the Vampire Slayer!" Ted exclaimed, and Marshall rolled his eyes. "It's about this girl called B-"_

_"Let me guess, Buffy?" Lily interrupted, and Ted nodded._

_"And she's a-"_

_"Vampire Slayer?"_

_"Exactly! It's like, the coolest show ever!"_

_Lily arched an eyebrow._

_"She slays demons with her friends Willow, Xander, Oz and her ex-vampire boyfriend, Angel. Oh, and obviously Giles," Ted added, as an after thought._

_"She dated a Vampire when she's the Vampire Slayer? Wow, that bitch broke some rules," Lily noted, and Ted rolled his eyes._

_"He's a good Vampire.. well, he is now... well, he's gone now.. but that's not the point! It's great, you'll see, now sshh, it's starting!"_

_Ted giggled happily, pulling a box of Chow Mein out from the bag of Chinese food, and opening it up. Lily and Marshall exchanged awkward glances._

_The television show started with Ted as silent as ever. His eyes were fixed on the screen, his mouth open slightly. Everything was quiet, until a few scenes in, when Willow appeared on screen for the first time._

_"OH MY GOD!" Lily jumped up, her eyes wide with excitement. Ted jumped, his chow mein flying everywhere, his jumper being covered in food._

_"What?!" Ted and Marshall said together, looking closely at Lily._

_"It's me, it's me!" Lily declared happily, pointing to the screen, where Willow and Buffy were talking about a demon that had escaped._

_"Its you?" Ted replied, confused._

_"Yes, it's me! Don't you guys see it, I look exactly like that Willow Tree girl!"_

_"First of all, it's just Willow, not Willow _Tree,_ and second of all, you look nothing like her! Her hairs redder than yours, her skins paler, and she's abit taller than you."_

_"It's me! I'm the Willow Tree girl!" Lily exclaimed again, acting as though she hadn't heard a single word that had come from Ted's mouth. "She's practically my double, how can you guys not see it?"_

_"Er, because you look _completely _different," Marshall noted, frowning. _

_"No, it's me! It's like I'm looking in a mirror!"_

_"A very blurry mirror," Ted muttered, under his breath._

_"What? You guys don't see it?" She asked, staring at them. They both shook their heads._

_"But it is me! The Willow Tree girl-"_

_"Willow! Just Willow!"_

_"- Is like my double!"_

_Lily seemed very excited, a look of pure glee etched across her face._

_"Ted, how comes you have never told me that my double is in this series!"_

_"Because she's not your double!" Ted yelled. "You look nothing alike! Marshall looks more like her than you do!"_

_"He has a point, we have the same eyes," Marshall mumured, shrugging._

_Lily rolled her eyes. "You guys are really blind, believe me, I know my double when I see her."_

_"Really? Well maybe you should get your eyes tested," Ted muttered, shaking his head. "I'll book you an appointment."_

_"You know what, you two are mad! Mad I tell you!" Lily said furiously. "We do too look alike, and I don't care what you say!"_

_"Okay, well you don't look like her, now can you be quiet? I want to watch this."_

* * *

"After that night, whenever Buffy was on, all she would do was go on about her looking like the _'Willow Tree girl',_ so I just stopped watching it all together. Then a few months later, Marshall rented _American Pie_, and we hadn't even put it in the video player, when Lily saw the cover and exclaimed that she had a double in the movie. Before she could say anything else, Marshall walked out the door, took the film back, and rented _Back to the Future_ instead."

"Wo," Tracy said, shocked. "That really happened?"

Ted nodded. "Really. So if your ever around Lily, don't mention Buffy or a Willow Tree or anything that is to do with Buffy or a Willow Tree."

"Okay," Tracy said, laughing. "I won't say anything.. But, to be honest, I can't really see the resemblance."

Ted shook his head. "None of us can."

She smiled at him, and he smiled back, unable to resist leaning in and kissing her quickly.

The film started, and Tracy sat cuddled up by Ted's side. He had to admit, the film was very funny, but he found that he enjoyed listening to Tracy laugh more than watching the actual film itself. He had never seen her laugh like that, and it fascinated him. Her eyes crinkled round the edges, and her mouth broke out into a wide smile, and she looked beautiful, absolutely stunning; he would just watch her, loving the way she expressed her emotions, and the funny thing was that he didn't get bored. It was as if Tracy were a film herself, a film he would never get tired of watching, a film that you would just play over and over again.

They ate the pizza, this time none of it getting thrown around; they were both too absorbed in what they were watching, even though they were watching different things. When all the pizza was gone, they put their plates on the coffee table, and snuggled closer together, Tracy's legs swung up in Ted's lap. Her eyes were fixed on the TV, but every now and then she would look over at Ted and see him watching her and smile prettily before turning back to the screen.

The third time she did that, Ted couldn't stop himself from being in denial any longer.

He was in love with her.

He had known it since they had met, heck, since before they met. He wasn't going to lie to himself and say that he wasn't, because love was the only explanation for it.

It was love he felt when he saw her standing under the umbrella, that night at Farhampton.

It was love he felt when he kissed her for the first time.

It was love he felt (well love and pain) when she knocked him to the ground to stop him paying.

And it was love he felt, right then.

The film was coming to a close, and Ted's heart started beating fast again, nervous of what was going to happen once the film ended. It was weird, he wasn't usually nervous, but she made him nervous. There was just something about her that made his insides squirm. He wondered how she felt, but when he looked at her he saw no look of nervousness at all.

In fact, she looked perfectly happy, perfectly normal.

Had he got the wrong signal?

No, he couldn't have.. could he?

He looked at his watch.

It was 10.

He was staying over, wasn't he? She had implied it.

The film ended, the screen turned black.

Tracy picked up the remote, and switched the TV off, before getting up off the couch and carrying the plates into the kitchen.

He followed after her, carrying the Pizza box, and putting it in the bin.

She quickly washed their plates, and then put them on the drying rack. Her back was to him, and for a moment she froze, and he couldn't see her expression.

Very slowly, she turned to him, and he saw it.

She was _nervous. _This was it.

She was biting her lip and wringing her hands, refusing to meet his eyes.

He took a step towards her.

She shook her head, and took a deep breath, before looking up, and locking her eyes with his.

"B-before we do this, I want you to know that I.. I don't do this with anyone."

Her voice was a little shaky, and he could her her voice quivering.

"And usually, it's longer than this, the wait I mean; I made Lewis wait a few months because I- because I wasn't ready."

He took her hand, and ran his thumb over her knuckles.

"But this feels _right._ With you. And I want you to know that. It's.. It's something I don't give away easy."

He nodded, wrapping his arms around her waist, pressing his forehead to hers.

"And, and.." Her head pushed forward, her lips smashing against his. His arms wrapped around her waist, her hands pulling on his hair. The snogged passionately for a few minutes, but then Ted had to pull away, his lungs deseperate for her.

She smiled shyly, before taking his hand, and leading him out of the kitchen and through the living room, until they reached her bedroom door.

She opened it, and wandered inside, Ted close behind.

Her room was fairly large, a double bed pressed up against the right wall, which was brick; the other walls were all painted orange. Her sheets were white, with an orange comforter at the end.

Her room was full with interesting objects, various items from the Renassiance fair, a Caligraphy set, her bass guitar leaning against the back wall, and a shelf full up with CDs and books.

Tracy sat down on her bed, and Ted sat down beside her.

"Nice room," he told her, and she smiled.

"Thanks."

Their eyes met, and a faint blush filled Tracy's cheeks, before she squirmed forward. Her hand went up, and she placed it against the base of his neck.

She leaned in and kissed him, and he kissed her back, before she pulled him down on top of her.

Ted's heart stopped.

* * *

A/N: Hope you enjoyed this chapter! I was laughing as I wrote the whole Lily/Willow thing.. anyway, stay tuned for more!


	13. Morning

A/N: Thanks to everyone who is reviewing, it means alot! I love hearing your feedback! So, as you can probably guess, this is the morning after their first time. Enjoy!

Chapter 13: Morning

Tracy woke up to the sound of Ted's light snoring tickling her left ear. She smiled, still with her eyes closed, and just stayed perfectly still, wanting to live in the perfect moment forever.

She was laying on her back, the way she always slept. Ted was laying on his front, his left arm draped across her bare stomach, his head tilted towards her. Unable to resist any longer, she popped her eyes open, and looked at him, her smile growing larger.

His face was ever so close, and at that moment in time, she could stare at him for as long as she wanted without worrying about him noticing. His eyelashes were long and seemingly feathery; she knew he would probably kill her if she ever mentioned it out loud to him, so she decided to keep the thought to herself. He had a few freckles along the bridge of his nose, freckles she hadn't noticed before, and in her giddy state, she decided to count them. One, two, three, four, five. Five. He had five freckles along his nose, five. Oh, and one on his cheek, which made six altogether. Six. Six freckles.

Tracy sighed quietly, before reluctantly squirming out from his embrace. She moved quickly yet elegantly, hoping not to wake up the sleeping beauty.

She pulled on her knickers, and Ted's black and red t-shirt, before gently tip-toeing out of the room, through the living room, and into the kitchen. Now it was the hard part of deciding what to do for breakfast.

She bit her lip and she looked through her cupboards, pulling out cereal, pancake mix, English muffins and a loaf of bread. After debating in her head on what to do, she finally made up her mind; she was doing to do everything.

She put some bread in the toaster, along with two English muffins, then proceeded to set up the table. She piled the table with bowls, boxes of three different kinds of cereal, orange juice, milk, coffee beans, jam, butter, knives, forks and plates. After, she began to make pancakes, just as the toast popped up. Quickly, she put the toast on the plate, before turning back to the pancakes.

She began to hum _'La vi en rose'_ as she made her pancakes, even beginning to sing slightly, when she suddenly felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her waist, and a delicate kiss press against her neck.

She smiled, relaxing into Ted's arms, leaning back into his embrace, and interlacing her fingers with his.

"Morning beautiful," he murmured, placing another kiss on her neck.

"Morning," she replied, turning around in his arms. He was wearing nothing but his boxers.

"I woke up and found that someone had stole my shirt," he said, smirking.

"Sorry," she replied guiltily. "I didn't think you'd mind."

"Oh, I don't," he said, shrugging. "It looks better on you than it ever did on me."

She laughed, rolling her eyes, before grabbing a plate and piling the pancakes onto it. "I highly doubt that."

"Oh, it's true," he said, laughing, as he sat down at the table. His eyes widened as he took in all that was on the table.

"Am I going to be able to see you over all this?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

She blushed. "Sorry, I didn't know what you'd want for breakfast, so I kinda went all out.."

He rolled his eyes. "I wouldn't have minded anything, honestly."

She nodded, taking a seat opposite him.

"Last night was amazing by the way," he said, as he helped himself to an English muffin, his eyes locked with hers.

"Yeah, it was okay I guess.." she said with a sigh.

When a look of pure terror fell upon his face, she instantly started laughing.

"Ted, I'm joking!" She exclaimed, giggling. "It was better than okay, you're right, it was amazing, 100% _amazing."_

His face relaxed. "You're not just saying that, are you?"

She laughed, and reached out to take his hand. "No, I mean it."

He brought her hand up to his lips and kissed it. "Good."

She leaned over and took the other English muffin, then poured herself a glass of orange juice.

"So, am I going to get to hear your performace?" He asked, with a smirk.

She frowned. "Performance?"

"Yes, performace! Cindy said you make your breakfast sing show tunes. And she also said you paint robots playing sports?"

Tracy fell into a pit of giggles. "She told you that? Well, yes, both those statements are correct; I do have my breakfast sing for me in the morning, and I do paint pictures of robots playing sports; my latest one was of a robot playing hockey."

Ted shook his head, smiling. "You're amazing."

"You're not so bad yourself."

He grinned at her cheekily, before turning back to his breakfast.

Tracy buttered and jammed her English muffin, then looked up to Ted. "Are you ready for this, T-bear? This may be the most beautiful thing you've ever heard, and nothing will come anywhere near in comparison."

"I'm ready."

"Okay, well, here goes!"

She took a deep breath, before singing her famous English muffin song.

_"One tasty English Muffin, baby that is what I am, badabadabada, one tasty English muffin, with some Raspberry jaaaaam!"_

Ted burst out laughing, shaking his head from side to side. She laughed too, small giggles escaping her lips.

"You're right, that was the most beautiful thing I've ever heard; well that, and your _'La vi en rose' _from the balcony."

She smiled, remembering him telling her how he had listened to her singing "Thank you."

They ate the rest of their breakfast in silence. However, it wasn't an awkward silence, but a comfortable one, and every now and then they would share a look and her heart would feel as if it was going to beat out of her chest. The simplest of looks he gave her sent her heart to beating a mile a minute, and she didn't know why. Was she, was she falling in love? She had known he was special, and that she was falling for him, but were those feelings love? It certainly felt like love, and the thought scared her. She was falling in love again. Far too quickly.

"Can I see one of your robot paintings? I have been wanting to see one for ages."

"Oh, sure, one minute, I'll just go find one."

She got up, and walked round to her spare room, the room that use to belong to Cindy. She hadn't done much with it since Cindy moved out, but it was sort of her storage space, where she kept old books and photos and many of her paintings. She picked up her latest picture, and carried into the kitchen.

"Here," she said, showing it to Ted.

He grinned goofily. "It's amazing," he told her. "You're giving Lily a run for her money, I'm telling you."

Tracy beamed. "Thanks, it's sort of my passion."

"You are a very arty person; music, art, all that kind of thing."

"Yeah, I suppose; but I also love Science and History."

"Yeah, you share my love of the Rennaisance fair," Ted nodded.

"I sure do. There's another one soon, up in Westchester; do you wanna go? I need to get some new stuff, I've been suffering withdrawal symptoms," she joked.

"Sure, it would be good! Finally, I have someone I can go with; none of the Gang are into that kind of thing."

Tracy shook her head. "Same here, none of my friends are into it; Kelly calls me a nerd for being into all that stuff."

"So does Lily. And Marshall. And Barney. Oh, and Robin.. Even my own Mother.." Ted rolled his eyes. "What weirdos.. they have no idea on what they are missing out on!"

"Exactly!"

Tracy smiled. In all her life, she had never met someone who seemed to be interested in all the same things she was; not even her own family had shown much of an interest, with her sister being a sport's fanatic and her parents being obsessed with their charity work.

But Ted seemed to be into all the same stuff; he had a coin collection, a love of the renaissance period, and his obvious love for _Star Wars. _He was like her, and she couldn't help but crave his company.

"Hey, do you mind if I have a shower?" Tracy asked. "I thought it would be easier if I went first so you could get your t-shirt back."

Ted grinned. "Sure, go ahead; I'll clear up?" He offered.

"No leave it, I'll do it after, just watch TV or something," Tracy replied.

She wandered through to her room, and picked out a pair of jeans and a light blue jumper, before walking through to the bathroom.

Stepping in the shower, she washed her hair and body, unable to resist from singing songs from musicals, mostly focusing on: _Defying Gravity_ from the play _Wicked, _and _On my own _from _Les Miserables; _she had always been a fan of the Broadway musicals.

After singing for a fairly long time, Tracy remembered Ted in the living room, and jumped out of the shower. She dried her hair off quickly with the towel, pulled on her clothes, and quickly wandered through to her bedroom. She then dried her hair properly with her hair dryer, and descended out of her room, holding onto Ted's shirt.

"Here," she said, throwing Ted his shirt; he was sitting on her couch, watching the morning news. "The showers ready, I'll just cl-"

She stopped as she entered the kitchen. Everything had been put away; the table was cleared. All the plates had been washed, dried, and then put away into the cupboards.

"Ted?" She called out.

"Yeah?"

"What did I tell you about tidying up?" She asked, walking towards him with her hands on her hips.

"You told me not to do it," Ted replied, still watching the TV.

"Exactly.. so why did you do it?"

"Because I wanted to; you cooked, it was only fair," he replied, shrugging.

She rolled her eyes, dropping down beside him.

"You should have let me do it, your the guest."

Ted chuckled, turning his head to look at her. "If you were over mine, you would want to help clear up, I _know _you would."

Tracy frowned. "Well, I'm a guest, I should help in some way."

Ted grinned, tapping her nose. _"Exactly!"_

"But here, you're my guest, so as my guest, you do nothing, pay for nothing, and just relax."

Ted shook his head. "Whatever, I'm going to have a shower."

He kissed her quickly, then got up, and dissappeared into the bathroom, leaving Tracy sitting alone in her living room.

It was at a time like then that she wondered how she could have survived so long without Ted in her life, how lonely she must have been before him. It was strange, but part of her had missed him before he had entered her life, and the small hole that Max had left in her heart, was slowly closing up.

And for some reason, she felt guilty. She had mourned for Max for 8 years, and finally she was moving on and it felt _so right, _but so wrong at the same time. Max was special, he was the boy who taught her how to love and what it felt like to be loved and everything in between.

Yet the whole he had left in her life was being filled, and she didn't understand why.

Ted and Max were entirely different.

Max liked danger and being reckless and free, but Ted seemed to live more in reality.

Max was unprepared and late but Ted was planned and early.

Max liked video games, Ted liked books. Max liked fast cars, Ted liked old buildings.

They were so different, but they both had one thing in common; they both won her over completely.

And as she sat there, alone, her head filled with thoughts, she couldn't help but wonder, was there only one person for everybody? Or was there a handful, but it was your actions that decided if you ran into them or not? For years she had thought Max was the one, and some part of her still believed it, but Ted, Ted was special and amazing and the guy who had stolen her yellow umbrella.

Was it possible that she had won the lottery again?

The bathroom door opened, and Ted appeared, a single white towel wrapped around his waist.

"Can I get changed in here?" He asked, pointing to her bedroom.

"Course," she replied, giving him a soft smile.

"Thanks," he said, sending her a smile in return.

He exited her room a few minutes later, wearing the same clothes he had worn the night before, his top slightly crinkled.

"What are you doing today?" He asked, as he sat down next to her.

"Meeting Kelly later, but that's about it; she rang me before you came over and asked me if I would looking over the guest list with her."

"Oh, how many people are going?" He asked.

"I dunno, around 50, but everyone has a chance to bring a guest," Tracy replied, leaning her head on Ted's shoulder.

"Will you be taking a guest?" Tracy looked up at him.

"I don't know.. maybe?"

"Maybe?"

"Maybe."

"Maybe."

She laughed. "So what are you doing today?"

"Meeting my sister for a coffee and a catchup."

"Oh, that's nice."

"Yeah, I just hope she hasn't managed to create havoc since I last saw her," he said, sighing.

Tracy smirked.

Ted glanced down towards his watch and groaned.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

"I have to go, I'm supposed to be meeting her in an hour actually."

"Oh right," Tracy said, trying to hide her dissappointment; she wanted him to stay longer.

"I'll see you later, right? Or I'll call you?"

She nodded. "Okay."

He leaned over and kissed her, his hand resting on her cheek, and she kissed him back, trying to pour as much emotion into it as possible.

He pulled back, resting his forehead against hers.

"I.." The words, whatever he had been about to say, died in his throat. He took a deep breath, his eyes staring into hers. "Thank you for yesterday, and this morning," he whispered.

"It's okay," she replied, her head slightly dizzy.

He stood up, and she walked him over to the door. He opened it, and walked out, before pausing, and turning to look at her.

His mouth opened, but no words came out. He just stared at her, not saying anything.

He shook his head, before leaning in and quickly kissing her.

"Goodbye."

He walked away slowly, and she watched until he rounded the corner, and dissappeared from sight. She closed the door behind her, before sliding along it down it the floor.

Dammit, she was in trouble.


	14. It's starting to happen

A/N: Thanks to those of you who have read/reviewed/favourited my other story, _'September 14th'. _I have had mixed reviews about how I should end this story, sticking to the end that is Cannon, which has the Mother dying, or doing something different. I have an idea, but I would love to here if you have any thoughts on what I should do.

Chapter 14: It's starting to happen

It was three days since the big night, and Ted was stuck in a painful dilemma. It was Saturday, the day of his big meeting at Bluewater, and he was sitting in a cab on his way over.

However, he couldn't get Tracy off his mind.

He had been itching to tell her that he loved her as he had left her flat on Thursday morning; his mouth had been open, yet no sound came out, causing him to look like a stupid fool. He wanted to tell her he loved her, he _knew _that he loved her, but he wasn't sure how he could tell her.

Was it too soon?

Maybe.

Then again,, for him it wasn't. He had proffessed his love for Robin on their first date, heck he was lucky his brain was in gear or he would have probably scared Tracy off by now. But he knew, he wanted to tell her. He felt as if she needed to know, that it wouldn't be right if he kept his feelings to himself. For the first time on his life, he didn't even care about what her response would be, he just wanted her to know how important she was to him.

The cab pulled up outside Bluewater's building, and Ted looked up at it in awe. He paid the cab driver, then stepped out.

He walked into the lobby, and up to the front desk, his heart beating heavily in his chest. It wasn't as if it was an interview; no, he had got the job. He was nervous about meeting Bluewater.

Trayc had called him that morning, wishing him good luck in a special song, no doubt using the English Muffin. It had struck him then how amazing she was, and once again, he had the urge to confess his love for her, but stopped when he realized he didn't want to do it over the phone. He would do it in person when he told her, she deserved that.

"Hello? Sir?"

Ted shook his head, looking towards the pretty blonde receptionist who was staring at him with a frown etched across her face.

"Sir, are you alright?"

"Wha-? Oh yes, I'm fine, sorry, I'm, erm, Ted Mosby, here for a meeting with John Bluewater about his Aquarium...?" His voice trailed off, and he looked at her hopefully.

"Oh, of course Mr Mosby!" She exclaimed, flashing him a cute smile. "Sorry I didn't recognize you, you're just a lot.._cuter _in person." She blushed slightly, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Oh, thanks," Ted said, smiling in return, blushing a bit himself. "Where should I go?"

"I'll just alert Mr Bluewater you're here, he should be with you shortly," she replied, batting her eyelashes.

Ted nodded, before dropping into a seat against the window. He looked around, his heart rate groing quicker and quicker.

His phone pinged in his blazer pocket, and he pulled it out catiously, before seeing it was a text from Tracy.

_"Hey Teddy, good luck (Again)! Call me as soon as it's finished, or come over, I don't mind ;) Hope it all goes well! -T.M"_

Ever since the whole 'T.M' issue, both of them had always replied to their text messages with 'T.M', and it made him smile whenever he read it. He quick texted her back, explaining he would drop by when the meeting was over, then turned his phone off.

"Mr Mosby? Mr Bluewater will see you now; please enter through the door to the right," the receptionist called to him.

"Okay, thanks," he replied, standing up, his heart thundering in his chest.

He wandered through the door instructed, and found himself in a large cream room. Hanging up on the walls were paintings and photopgraphs of marine-life and underwater experiences. He was so captured by the intake of art in the room, that he completely forgot that he was meeting John Bluewater.

Someone, towards the back of the room, cleared their throat, making Ted jump. He glanced towards the back, and saw a large desk piled with documents, and sitting behind those documents, a cigar in his mouth, was John Bluewater.

He looked exactly like he did on his show. Broad-shouldered, tall, jet black hair that was specked with grey. His eyes, dark blue, stared straight ahead at Ted, and it made him swallow uneasily.

"Good to meet you, Mr Mosby," his voice thundered.

"Nice to meet you, Sir," Ted replied, trying to keep his voice from shaking, as he walked forward.

Bluewater stood up, extending his hand over his desk.

Ted reached over, and shook it.

"Have a seat, Mr Mosby, let's begin."

Ted sat down, his pulse quickening. There he was, sitting opposite on of his idols, about to sign papers, and he couldn't believe it. He couldn't believe he was there, sitting there, ready to start working for Bluewater; it was a dream come true.

"So Mr Mosby, we have decided, due to your fantastic design of the GNB building, that we want _you _to be project manager in the designing of our Aquarium, how about that, eh?"

"It's a great oppurtunity, Sir," Ted replied, the palms of his hands sweaty.

"Please, call me John," Bluewater said, waving a hand, but his voice was still loud and terrifying.

"Okay.. _John," _Ted said, awkwardly.

Bluewater offered a grim smile, before glancing towards the papers on the desk.

"Now Mr Mosby, we have written in a contract that lasts for three years, which includes pay and the number of work hours," Bluewater explained. He slid the contract towards Ted, and Ted looked down at it.

The contract, as Bluewater had explained, lasted for three years. According to the contract, Ted was expected to be in the building atleast three times a week, making sure everything was going well with the people under his supervision, and was also expected to pitch his ideas to Bluewater and the board atleast once a month. After skim reading a paragraph, Ted discovered that the amount of money he would be earning was more than satisfactory, and overall, he was very pleased.

"Do I sign now?" Ted asked, looking up from the sheet.

Bluewater nodded. "You can sign it now or later; you have all the time in the world, Mr Mosby."

Ted nodded, pulling out a pen from his blazer pocket. "I'll sign now."

He scribbled his signature at the bottom of the page, before sliding it back across the table towards Bluewater.

"Now, Mr Mosby, we need to organise necessary details such as your payment; if you wish to be paid directly into your account, we therefore need your bank details."

"Okay, right."

After exchanging bank details, emails, and various numbers and addresses, the meeting was over. It had gone very smootly, and quickly.

"It's been a pleasure meeting you," Bluewater said, shaking Ted's hand as he stood up.

"It's been nice to meet yo too, Si-_John."_

Smiling slightly, Ted walked out the room, glancing once more at the images on the walls.

He returned to the lobby, where the receptionist beamed at him as he walked out.

"How did it go, Mr Mosby?" She asked, a smile playing on her lips.

"It went good thank you, Miss..?" He trailed off, looking at her hopefully. If he was going to be entering the building frequently, he thought it would seem necessary to know the young girls name.

"Jones. Kayleigh Jones," she replied, a pink tinge to her cheeks.

"Nice to meet you Kayleigh." He extended his hand, and she shook it.

Afterwards, he walked out the building, pulling out his phone from his blazer pocket, and dialing Tracy.

"Hello, how did it go?" Tracy asked, the second she answered the phone.

Ted laughed. "Great, it went great. Would it be okay if I came over?"

"Of course! I was hoping you would!"

"Okay, I'll see you soon."

"Bye!"

He haung up, before setting off. It was only two blocks away from Tracy's building, so Ted decided to walk. It was a bright day, very few clouds in the sky. He passed small flower stalls, and stopped at one, buying Tracy a small handful of lilacs, which she had told him was her favourite flower.

He reached her building, walking up the steps two at a time. When he reached her door, he knocked three times, and waited patiently for her to answer.

The door swung open, Tracy smiling brightly up at him.

Her eyes flickered down to the flowers in his hand, and her smile grew larger.

"Thank you," she said, leaning in and kissing him softly. "I love them."

He wandered into her apartment, taking off his blazer and hanging it up by the door. Her base gutair was laying out on the sofa, as was her ukele.

"I was practising," she informed him, as she walked into the kitchen and placed her new flowers in a small vase. "I've got a gig in a few weeks time, my first one since the wedding! It's just at a local bar, but it should be good!"

He smiled. "That's cool! Would you mind if I came?"

Tracy entered the living room again. "I was going to ask you actually; Robin and Barney are welcome to come too."

"Great."

Tracy moved her gutair off the sofa and onto her lap, making room for the two of them to sit down. She then picked up her small ukele, looking at it with adoration in her eyes, before placing it on the coffee table.

"What were you practising?" Ted asked.

"Just a few of my own peices," she replied, as her hands softly began to slide along the strings.

"Mind if I hear?"

She looked up at him. "You can if you want."

She began to play a little bit louder, a beautiful melody flowing gracefully around the room. It was soft and warm, and it made Ted's insides go all warm and fuzzy. He was just about to ask her if there were any words to this peice she was playing, when suddenly her voice began to sing.

_"I've never believed in a place called heaven,_

_And I've never believed that things get better._

_I've never believed that life,_

_Could pull you up again,_

_But maybe it's starting to happen._

_I've never believed there's a song worth singing,_

_And I've never believed in new beginnings,_

_I've never believed that you,_

_Could pull me up again,_

_But baby it's starting to happen."_

She took a deep breath, before singing the last line.

_"Yes baby it's starting to happen."_

Ted looked at her, shocked. The song was beautiful, touching, and he couldn't believe she had written it.

"That was.. that was beautiful," he whispered.

"Thanks," she replied, as she pulled her case towards her, putting her gutair and he ukele away.

"When did you write that?" He asked.

Tracy looked up at him.

"I started writing it about a year ago, but I've been struggling with it for a while.. it's starting to come together, right?"

"It's just so beautiful," he whispered, unable to say anything else.

She laughed, looking at him intently. "Thanks, it's sort of about.. about me trying to get over Max, and me being in the worst.. the worst place."

Ted nodded, pulling her towards him. She rested her head on his shoulder, and placed her hand on his chest.

After a few moments of soft silence, Tracy spoke up.

"Wedding Bride 3 comes out next Saturday," she told him, a touch of tiredness in her voice.

"Really?" Ted murmured, also feeling slightly tired himself, despite it being the afternoon.

"We should go.. get lunch, make fun of the movie," she told him.

"Sounds like a plan.. only if you let me pay," Ted replied.

She paused for a moment, and Ted knew she was debating in her head what was more important. In the end, she sighed, "Fine, you can pay," and Ted laughed.

In a few minutes, Tracy was asleep.

He looked down at her, her beautiful face so close to his, and swallowed uneasily.

If he didn't tell her that he loved her soon, he was going to burst. He had to tell her, he just had to. He couldn't hold it in for much longer.

She moved slightly in her sleep, nestling closer to him.

Yes, he had to tell her. Soon.

A/n: I hope you liked this.. I'm not sure how I felt about it.. It came out better in my head :/ The song Tracy sang took me ages to make up, but finally, I wrote something that worked! Next chapter should be up very soon, maybe even in a few hours.. ;) Oh, and look out for that receptionist.. :)


	15. Those three little words

A/N: I guess you know what this chapter is... Enjoy!

Chapter 15: Those three little words

"Ted, stop hogging the Umbrella, my hair's getting wet!" Tracy hissed, as they walked down the crowded street. It was a busy Saturday, especially since it was the opening of _'The Wedding Bride 3', _and they were huddled together, under Tracy's yellow umbrella, due to the downpour of rain that had started suddenly that morning.

"It's not my fault, my arm's getting wet too!" He replied, pulling the umbrella over him even more.

"Ted, stop it!" She moaned, grasping the handle, and pulling it back over to her side. "It's your fault that you didn't think to bring an umbrella!"

Ted rolled his eyes. "Yeah, because when you're going to stay round your girlfriend's place, an _umbrella _is the first thing on you mind," he said sarcastically.

"You should be prepared, like I am," she retorted, shooting him a glare. "I have a hat in my bag if I need it, but you don't even have your own umbrella."

"Woah," Ted stopped suddenly, arching an eyebrow. "You've been moaning this whole time about your hair getting wet, when you have a hat in your bag?"

Tracy continued walking. "Yes, I have a hat in my bag for _emergencies _but I would prefer to use my umbrella! You're welcome to borrow my hat, if that's what your getting at."

"I don't want to borrow your hat!" He said, looking at her like she was an idiot. "But I would have thought that you wouldn't have been complaining as much, seeing as you have a hat to keep your hair dry!"

"I told you, you should have come prepared, it's not my fault that you didn't."

"But you have a hat! You're moaning ab-"

"You know what Ted?" She said, stopping, and looking up at him.

"What?"

"If you're going to moan so much, I won't let you take shelter under my umbrella."

"You won't let me take shelter under your umbrella?"

She shook her head. "Nope."

"Hey, that's not fair! I'm the whole reason you have your umbrella in the first place!"

"You're the one that took it!" She hissed.

"Exactly, anyone could've taken it, but _I _took it, and then I had the decency to return it," he told her.

"Wow, bravo Ted, bravo. You know what, you don't get any shelter!"

With that, she pulled the umbrella away from Ted, covering herself completely, so he stood there, standing in the pouring rain.

"Fine," he replied, rolling his eyes. "Fine, I don't care anyway."

"Fine," she said, walking down the street.

"I actually like the rain."

"Good for you," Tracy told him.

"I actually like the fact that I'm probably going to get a cold," he said, matter-of-factly, walking beside her, still in the rain.

"Great."

"Because then I will be laying in bed at home, feeling really ill, but feeling happy because atleast my girlfriend didn't have to put her hat on."

"Fine, get back under," she groaned, and Ted laughed happily.

"Thank you," he said smiling, kissing her cheek awkwardly as the walked down the street.

"Don't mention it," she replied, unable to smile slightly.

The reached the small restuarant they were having lunch at, and as soon as they were under the shelter, Tracy put her umbrella down, looking up at Ted smiling. He grinned down at her, and leant down to lightly kiss her lips.

She loved the small arguments with Ted, the arguments that meant nothing and that she could laugh about straight away. Their first one had been on Monday, when Tracy had moaned at Ted for drinking all her milk, a full carton, when he had woken up in the morning. It had ended up with them being in bed again that morning, but they weren't sleeping.

Ted opened up the door, and Tracy walked through, smiling at him gratefully.

"Good afternoon Sir, how may I help you?"

"I have a reservation udner the name Mosby," Ted said, taking Tracy's hand in his own.

The waiter looked down the list of names he had on his clipboard.

"Ah, right this way."

The waiter lead them to a small table, and Ted pulled out Tracy's seat for her, before sitting down himself.

"Can I take this for you?" The waiter asked, refering to Tracy's umbrella. "We can put it in a cupboard and return it to you before you leave."

"No, it's okay," Tracy replied, slipping her umbrella under the table. "I'll leave it here."

The waiter frowned, but before Tracy could say anything, Ted was speaking.

"She's very protective of her umbrella; some weirdo stole it a few years back, and ever since she has recieved it back, she refuses to let it out of her sight."

"You do realize you just called yourself a weirdo," Tracy noted, raising an eyebrow.

"Eh," Ted said, shrugging.

"Okay, so can I get you any drinks?" The waiter asked.

"Erm, a gin and tonic for me please, with three extra limes?" Ted asked, before looking over at her. "What do you want, Trace?"

"Can I have the same please, but leave out the limes."

The waiter nodded, before walking away.

"I'll put my hat on before we leave," Tracy told him, and Ted smirked.

"You don't have to, you were right, it is your umbrella," he replied.

"No, it's fine, ever since you mentioned you becoming ill.." she shook suddenly, and Ted laughed, reaching over and taking her hand.

"Okay, okay."

The waiter brought the drinks back, and proceeded to take their food order.

Tracy ordered a smoked-salmon and cream cheese bagel with salad and crackers, whereas Ted ordered himself a cheese burger. They talked about work and family and themselves in the waiting for their food, Tracy telling Ted the latest on Kelly's wedding ("She wants a horse and carriage"), and Ted telling her how Marshall and Lily were getting on ("They're doing well, but Marshall's still set on the baby being a boy.")

Finally, their lunch arrived.

Tracy picked up her bagel, taking a large bite. At first, it seemed really nice, but after she had slowed it, the after-taste kicked in, and she felt as if she was going to puke. It tasted disgusting, her insides churning, and she had to take a quick sip of her drink.

"Are you okay?" Ted asked, frowning.

"The after-taste is disgusting," she whispered, shivering. "It tastes like puke."

Ted frowned, before lifting his burger up to his lips. He ate a bite, nodding at first, before suddenly lunging forward for his drink.

"That's not too good either," he muttered.

Tracy picked her way through her salad, which was barely edible, before trying her bagel again.

She had a few more bites, trying to stop herself from puking up, before Ted asked what she was doing.

"I don't like to leave anything unfinished; it's rude," she told him.

"What if you're full?"

"I wrap it up, and take it home."

"So you're actually going to sit and eat that?" he asked, looking at her shocked.

"I'm going to try," she muttered, taking another bite.

Ted nodded, before picking up his burger, and slowly began working his way through.

After they had been eaten a little over half, they stopped, both seemingly gasping for air.

"Are you finishe?" The waiter asked.

"Yes, thank you," Tracy replied, smiling. "But could I wrap the rest of this up? To take away?"

"Of course Madam," he said, smiling in return.

Tracy wrapped up the bagel, pulling up her handbag, and putting it away in there, pulling out her grey hat in the process.

Ted paid the bill, leaving the water a 20% tip, before standing up.

Tracy pulled on her hat, despite Ted's protests, and then held up her umbrella.

They walked out, and saw that the rain was still thundering down. Tracy put up her umbrella, handing it to Ted, ("You can hold it seeing as I have my hat on"), then held onto his arm and started to walk down the street.

The movie theatre wasn't too far away from the restaurant, and they had a small walk in silence. Not that she minded. She was so comfortable with Ted, that even silence made her feel welcome. Every now and then, he would squeeze her arm, and she would look up at him and smile and everything was falling perfectly into place.

They reached the movie theatre, and Ted stepped up to buy the tickets.

"Hello, two tickets for The Wedding Bride 3?"

"Nope, sorry bro," the young man at the till said.

"What?" Ted said, confused.

"It sold out about half over ago.. Sorry bro."

Tracy sighed heavily. "What do we do now?" She asked. She had been really looking forward to seeing the film. She couldn't believe it was sold out. All ready?

"I don't know," Ted replied, frowning.

They stood in the rain, Tracy biting her lip. They could go back to hers and watch Star Wars or something? Or any other film she had they could watch? Or maybe the first Wedding Br-

"Tracy?"

Ted's voice made Tracy jump, her thoughts flying from her head.

"Yes?"

He looked deep into her eyes. There was something powerful in the way he looked at her, and it made her insides squirm. He opened his mouth, and her breath hitched, as three words escape his mouth.

"I love you."

It hit her in her chest hard. The softness and truth behind his words terrified her. He loved her. Her heart began beating quickly, her palms growing sweaty. Her mouth opened, but no words came out. She looked at him, her eyes growing misty, and she had no reply.

He leaned down and kissed her.

She kissed him back for a moment, closing her eyes, before suddenly remembering the situtation.

She pulled back suddenly, and stared up at him, her eyes wide and teary.

"Tracy-?"

"I'm sorry Ted, I just- I have to go!"

She left him standing alone on the sidewalk with her umbrella. She raced away, jumping into the nearest cab and telling the driver Kelly's address, her heart pounding.

As the cab began to move, her head fell against the window, and she was hit with a wave of sobs.

A/n: I hope you liked this chapter. Yes, in my story, she doesn't tell him she loves him, atleast not yet. Stay tuned!


	16. Challenge Accepted

A/n: Here's chapter 16! It was going to be called something else, but I thought it might give away what was going to happen in this chapter ;) I hope you enjoy this one! I think it came out alright! :/

* * *

Chapter 16: Challenge Accepted

"So, she just left? Right after you confessed your love for her? _Woah, _sorry Bro."

Ted was sitting in the usual booth at MacLaren's, the day after the whole, _'I love you' _incident, sitting across from Robin and Barney. After Tracy had left him standing in the rain, leaving him with her umbrella, Ted had been frozen to the spot. It wasn't the reaction he had been expecting. Truth be told, he wasn't sure what he was expecting, just that it wasn't _that. _After he had finally grown aware of what had happened, he got the nearest cab to Tracy's apartment, only to discover that she wasn't there. He had then rang her several times, only to not get through, and was panicing over where his girlfriend had gone in her horrific state. The only place he could think of was her sister's or maybe Kelly's, but he didn't have their addresses or their phone numbers. After trying her phone several times, he had given up and lumbered home, placing her umbrella in the corner by the door. He didn't sleep well that night, and the next morning had rang Barney for an 'emergency meeting', which therefore lead him to where he was in that particular moment.

"Yes.. I'm just, I'm worried about her. I don't know where the hell she's gone and I just.. I just want to comfort her and tell her everything's okay," Ted mumbled, his face burried deep in his hands.

"But is everything okay?" Robin asked catiously, biting her lip. "I mean, she just _left _after you told her you loved her, aren't you a little worried about that?"

"No," Ted sighed, lifting his head up slightly. "I'm not worried about her not responding with the same words, I'm just worried about _her. _I just want to sit down and talk it through with her."

Robin nodded. "She's a grown women Ted; she probably just wants some time to herself, y'know, and think things through."

"I agree with Robin," Barney said, sipping his drink. "She's a grown women, who probably wants some time to _herself, _to get along with _other things."_

"I know she's a grown women," Ted muttered, ignoring Barney's comment and hand-gestures. "But you didn't see the state she was in.. The only other time she was like this was when she met up with Louis and the whole Max thing came out."

Suddenly, Ted's eyes widened. "That's it," he breathed. "_Max."_

"Sorry, what?" Robin asked, looking fairly confused.

"She's.. she's freaking out about Max and about us; she's told me countless times how important Max was to her and how he was special and everything, and me telling her that I loved her.. It must have made those feelings re-surface."

"I don't understand.. Who's Max?" Robin replied, frowning.

"Don't worry," Ted replied, waving off her comment. "I just need to find out where Tracy is and make this right."

"Don't you have any idea where she is?" Barney asked him, swirling his drink around his glass.

"Maybe Kelly's place? I know Kelly's in the city while her Sister's further in the country, it makes sense."

"Challenge accepted." Barney stood up, corrected his tie, winked at Robin, the walked out the bar.

"Where's he going?" Ted asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Probably to try and find Kelly's address; good luck with that!"

After around 10 minutes, Ted and Robin said goodbye and departed. Ted stopped by Tracy's again before heading home, and sure enough, she still wasn't there. He asked her elderly neighbour, Mrs Elliott, if she had seen Tracy at all since the day before, and when she replied that she hadn't, Ted went home, ringing Tracy every hour; it kept going straight to voicemail.

After a quick microwave meal and a long relaxing shower, Ted dropped glumly in front of the TV, switching it on, and watching a a series that he didn't even recognise. The name was something revolving around science, and it was supposed to be a sitcom, but he didn't really feel in the mood for laughing. All he could do was think about Tracy and what she was doing; he hoped she was okay, hopefully with Kelly, but he couldn't help but imagine awful scenarios where she bumped into Louis and realised she wanted to be with him, or where some big hunky stranger looked after her. He really hoped she was with Kelly.

At about 8-9 o'clock, Ted heard a knock at the door. His stomach flipped. Was it Tracy? Was she standing outside his door, less than 10 foot away from him?

He jumped up, and raced towards the door, his heart beating heavily in his chest.

He pulled open the door, a wide smile on his face.

It fell as soon as he saw who had knocked.

It was Barney.

"Sup bro," he said, as he wandered into Ted's apartment. "It's 110 East 45th street, apartment 4b."

"What?"

"Kelly's apartment," Barney replied, handing him a folded piece of paper. "110 East 45th street, apartment 4b."

Ted looked at him in awe. "How did you find that?"

Barney shrugged. "I know some people."

"Oh my God, I've gotta go!"

He grabbed his jacekt and pulled it on, excitement and happiness surging through his veins.

"You'e going now?" Barney asked, looking bewildered. "Ted, it's _8:30."_

"So?" Ted said shrugging, lacing up his shoes. "It's not that late."

_"Exactly," _Barney replied, rolling his eyes. "She won't be drunk yet Ted, if I were you, I wouldn't leave too atleast 9o'clock, that's when girls start to get _really _hammered, and you get the best of the best, if you know what I mean."

"Whatever Barney, I've gotta go."

With that, he raced out the door, storming down the stairs and out the apartment building before Barney could even register what had happened.

"Taxie!" He yelled, holding out his hand, and a yellow cab pulled up beside him.

"Thanks, 110 East 45th street," Ted said, as he jumped in, pulling on his seatbelt.

The ride was much longer than it would have been if he hadn't had been so tense. His hands were sweaty, his head slightly dizzy, and he hoped, he _begged, _that Tracy was with Kelly. If she wasn't, he would literally die, dropping dead on Kelly's door-step. She had to be there.

The cab pulled up, and Ted paid the driver, before stepping out into the slightly cool air. He swallowed uneasily, before walking up the steps.

The apartment building was slightly smaller than his own, and Tracy's, but it looked fairly well-off. He noticed the elevator, but decided to take the stairs, feeling it might help him slightly; it didn't.

He reached apartment 4b with his knees shaking. He took a deep breath, then gently knocked on the door.

After a few minutes the door opened, and there stood Kelly, who was rummaging through her purse.

"Sorry, how much was it again? $12? $13?"

"Uh.."

Kelly looked up, frowning, as her eyes met Ted. Her mouth opened in a slight 'o' shape, before she whispered, "guess you're not the pizza guy."

"No.. Is Tracy here? I really need to see her."

Kelly narrowed her eyes, before gently stepping out the door, and closing it quietly.

"Yes, she's here."

Oh thank God!

"Can.. Can I see her?" Ted asked quickly, glancing towards the door and then back to Kelly.

"Not until you tell me what you did!" Kelly said harshly, folding her arms.

Ted looked aghast. "What- what I did?"

"Yes! My best-friend shows up to my apartment last night, crying her eyes out; it's lucky Jared's away for the weekend! And she won't tell me anything, but I know she went out with you yesterday, and each time I mention your name or something similar like a Teddy bear, she starts bawling. So you better tell me now what happened, Mosby!"

Ted's eyes widened. "I didn't do anything! I swear! I would never, _ever, _hurt Tracy! I care about her so much, I've left her a ton of messages, and I just want to see her!"

"I don't believe you!" She said, accusingly. "You must have done something, she wouldn't be acting like this for no reason!"

"Look, I-"

"Kelly? Is everything okay? Do you have enough-"

The door had opened, and there was Tracy, looking at Ted, her eyes wide, her lip trembling. She didn't look too bad, and Ted guessed Kelly had been careful to avoid anything that would upset her after her, what he could guess, many crying fits.

"Ted," she whispered, her eyes going slightly glossy. _"Ted."_

With that, she threw her self at him, wrapping her arms tight around his chest, burrying her face into his kneck. Ted responded immediatly, grasping her close to him, his arms holding her back tightly. He could feel her crying into his kneck, and he gently ran his fingers through her hair, whispering words of comfort into her ear. Her hair smelt of roses and vanilla, just as it always had done, and even though he had only been apart from her for a day, he had never missed her more than how much he had in those 24 hours.

He placed a kiss on the top of her head, running his hands up and down her back. Over the top of her head, he saw Kelly give him a nod, before silently dissappearing into the apartment.

He wasn't sure how long they stood there, holding onto eachother as if for dear life, but it could have been forever. Eventually, he felt her begin to pull back, and loosened his grip on her ever so slightly.

Her face was blotchy, her eyes red and puffy. Her lip was still trembling and he gently kissed them, hoping to soothe her.

"I'm.. I'm so sorry Ted," she whispered, as a new set of tears ran down her face. "I'm _so _sorry."

"Ssshhh," he murmured gently, as he kissed away her tears, tasting the salt on his lips. "You have _nothing _to be sorry for."

"I thought.. I thought I lost you," she whispered, burrying her face in her chest. "I thought I'd ruined, that I'd lost you forever."

"Hey," he whispered, pushing up her chin so he could look at her. "You could never lose me; do you really think I would just give up on you, on us?"

"I don't know," she sniffed, a single tear falling down her cheek.

"Well then, I haven't done a very good job of showing you how important you are to me," he whispered, kissing the top of her head.

"No, you do! I just.. I thought when I freaked out and left that you'd.. that you would have realized that I wasn't worth it."

"You are worth it," he whispered. "You are worth every second, every minute, and every hour of my life."

"Really?" She asked, looking up at him.

"Really."

She nodded, taking her arms off his shoulders, and interlacing her fingers with his.

"I didn't mean to freak out," she mumbled, staring at the ground.

"It's okay, you don't have to explain," he reassured her, but she shook her head.

"No, I have to say this."

She took a breath.

"When, when you told me you loved me, I.. I had never felt so happy in my whole life. I got this.. this _weird _feeling in my stomach that expanded and expanded until it was _everywhere. _And I realized that I, that I wanted to say it back. And that was what terrified me."

She paused sniffing, and her rubbed his thumb on her hand.

"I haven't said them words to any guy except Max, and that was what freaked me out; it freaked me out because I feel so strongly about you so quickly and it was so weird and confusing and then I felt guilty for moving on from Max too quickly and when I got here I realized that it wasn't too quickly, and that Max had been gone eight years. I felt like an idiot because I thought I had lost you, and everytime you were mentioned I would cry and want to scream because.."

She took another breath, and looked at him right in the eye.

"Because Ted Mosby, I love you too. There, I said it, I love you. And it's okay that I love you, because you make me happy and all I want to be in the world is happy, and I am the happiest I have ever been when I am with you. I love you."

Ted's heart had stopped during the whole conversation. He felt as if time had froze, that he was paused in another land. And it was the best feeling in the world.

"You love me?" He murmured.

She nodded. "I love you."

He grabbed her and pulled her close to him, kissing her hard. She responded straight away, kissing him back, wrapping her arms around his neck once again. He pushed her against the wall, running his hands up and down her sides, his heart beating a mile a minute.

Her hands pulled on his hair, pulling him right up against her. He could hear her moan, and gently pulled back and looked in her eyes.

"I love you."

The words flowed from her mouth calmly, and he kissed her again.

"I love you too," he replied against her lips, and she squirmed away from him.

"I LOVE YOU!"

He laughed, grabbing her hand and entwining their fingers.

"I LOVE YOU, TED MOSBY!"

"I LOVE YOU TOO, TRACY MCCONNELL!"

They both errupted in a fit of giggles, and Ted pulled Tracy into him, holding her in a tight hug.

"I love you," she whispered.

"I love you."

And from that day forward, he would never, ever, get tired of hearing the words flow from her mouth.

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A/n: This chapter was going to be called, 'I love you, Ted Mosby', but obviously, that would have given it away! I hope you liked it!


	17. A thing called Jealousy

A/N: Sorry for the slight delay, I've been slightly preoccupied; my dog Zac was ill with a brain tumor and was put down so I've been all over the place. Now Zac wasn't a How I Met Your Mother fan as such, but he laid with me through many of the episodes, including the finale, so this chapter I dedicate to my beloved dog Zac, may you rest in peace.

Chapter 17: A thing called Jealousy

Tracy McConnell walked down the busy streets of New York, a smile clear on her bright face. The weather was particulary warm, as it should have been, and there wasn't a single cloud in the sky. She loved days like these, where the sun was high in the sky, the blue above showing no signs of grey. She loved it almost as much as she loved the miserable grey cold days, where rain would make soft 'pitter-patter' sounds on the roof of cars and buildings. Rainy days had always been her favourite, but on that Tuesday, the bright day came as a close second.

It had been over a week since the 'weekend of I love you's' as her and Ted had decided to call it, and her life couldn't have been better. There hadn't been a single day yet where she hadn't been in Ted's company; of course, three days of the week she would only see him at night, due to him working hard at Bluewater's, but she didn't mind as the nights in were always comfortable and free.

They had spent an equal amount of time at each of their apartments, and items of Ted's had slowly appeared in her home; a few of his t-shirts (that she had put away neatly in her draw if he ever needed one), two or three of his DVDs, and one or two of his CDs. She was also 99.9% sure a few of her items had made their way into Ted's place too; she knew she had left her umbrella there, _again. _

Well, _'their' _umbrella rather.

They had experienced a few playful arguments over who the yellow umbrella belonged too, both of them putting up some good points; Tracy had argued that she had bought it, so therefore, it was all hers. However, Ted had mentioned that she had been extremely careless with the umbrella, and had left it lying around at a night club, where anything could have happened to it, and she was lucky that he had picked it up. In the end, the argument was just getting sillier and sillier, so Tracy had suggested that they share it; it was now refered to, by both of them,as _'our yellow umbrella'. _Well, that's what she called it when Ted was around anyway; she knew it was still _hers. _

It was around 5o'clock as she walked along, heading to Bluewater's. His shift ended soon, and she was going to surprise him with some _'Wedding Bride 3' _tickets she had bought a few days previous. He had been planning to head straight to hers after work, and spend a nice night in, but she hoped he liked her plan better. They had since watched the first wedding bride, and the second, and Ted had lightened up by the end of the second movie; she had been teasing him throughout both of the movies, asking him if he really had red cow-boy boots _(he did)_ and if he really take Stella on a diastrous 2-minute _(he did, but it was far more romantic apparently.)_

She had spent the day tidying up, and looking for job interviews online; her graduation from Columbia University had been moved forward to August 16th, so she needed to find a job and fast. She wanted to do something where she played an important role in helping the less developed countries, but she knew she would have to start from the bottom and work her way up; she hadn't found anything worth doing yet.

She reached Bluewater's, and walked in, pushing open the door. The lobby was bright, filled with pictures here and there. She glanced towards her watch; Ted would be out soon.

The receptionist, a young blonde women, was sitting behind a large white desk, and looked up at her.

"Hello Miss, how may I help you?"

"Oh, I'm just waiting for my boyfriend; he works on the Bluewater Aquarium project?" Tracy replied, uneasily.

"Oh right.. are you dating Aaron?" The receptionist asked, a twinkle in her eye. "You look like the sort of girl who would date Aaron."

"Oh no, I'm not dating Aaron," Tracy said. "My boyfriend's Ted, Ted Mosby? He's actually project manager."

"Oh," she said, seeming slightly taken back. "I didn't know Mr Mosby had a girlfriend.. He was giving off the single vibe."

Tracy frowned, but before she could ask what the 'single vibe' was, she heard the sound of a door closing, and a man's voice call her name.

"Tracy!" Ted called, racing up to her; he was wearing a blazer and black pants, and was carrying a leather briefcase.

"Hey," she replied, once he was close to her.

He grinned down at her, and kissed her quickly, taking her right hand in his free left one.

"What are you doing here?" He asked. "I thought I was going to come straight to yours after work."

"Slight change of plan," Tracy replied, leaning into him. "I thought I'd surprise you; I've got two tickets to go and see 'The Wedding Bride 3' tonight; it starts in an hour. I thought we could go watch the movie, get a a takeaway, and then take it back to my place..?"

"Sounds great," Ted murmured, leaning in and kissing her softly.

"Mmm," she said, against his lips. "It does, doesn't it?"

"It's a really good movie, I saw it last night," A voice said, making Tracy jump. The young recpetionist was looking at the two of them intently.

"Oh, really?" Ted asked.

"Yes, Jed Mosely's still a douche; he's still got those red cow-boy boots."

"Oh, right," Ted replied uneasily, as Tracy stifiled a laugh, giggling at the floor.

"There's this bit when he is at the swimming pool and h-"

"Woah, spoilers!" Tracy said, holding up her free hand. "I'm gonna have to stop you there."

"Oh, sorry," she replied, although she didn't look sorry.

"It's okay," Ted answered, before letting go of Tracy's hand and walking towards the receptionist's desk.

"Kayleigh, can you give this to Aaron," he said, as he pulled a large document out of his briefcase. "And tell him to make sure he has it in by Friday?"

"Of course, Mr Mosby," 'Kaleigh' replied, batting her eyelashes.

Tracy raised an eyebrow. Was she flirting with Ted?

"Thanks," Ted said, giving her a small smile.

He walked back over to Tracy, wrapping his arm around her shoulders.

"Ready?" He asked.

"Sure, let's go."

"Bye Kaleigh!" Ted called, as he opened the door.

Tracy just heard her shout of "Goodbye Mr Mosby!", when she was with the warm air of July.

"Kayleigh's..._nice," _Tracy said, as they walked down the street, looking up at Ted mysteriously.

"Yeah, she's cool," Ted said nodding. "I think she has a crush on someone."

Tracy raised an eyebrow. "I was thinking the same thing," she replied.

Ted looked down at her. "You saw it too? The way her eyes lit up when I mentioned Aaron? I might haveto talk him into asking her out."

Tracy stared at him blankly. "Aaron? She doesn't fancy Aaron!"

"What?" Ted said, dumbfounded. "If it's not Aaron, then who is it?"

They reached the corner, and rounded it, Ted still looking extremely confused.

"She fancies you, you douche," Tracy told him, rolling her eyes. "It's quite obvious actually, I thought you would have picked up on it."

Ted frowned. "She doesn't fancy me," he replied, shaking his head. "It's impossible."

"Oh, she does," Tracy muttered. "I am 100% sure of it."

"How? What on Earth did she do that makes you think she has feelings for me?"

"Well," Tracy started. "For one thing, she seemed slightly put out when I told her I am your Girlfriend. Another, she was batting her eyelashes at you and trying to talk to you; she even jumped into our conversation!"

"Kayleigh does not have feelings for me," Ted sighed. "She doesn't."

"Oh, she does."

"Doesn't."

"Does."

"Doesn't."

"Does."

"Doesn't."

"Does."

"Doesn't."

"Does."

"Doesn- Wait," Ted paused, looking down at her a look of glee etched across his face. "Are you, Miss McConell, jealous that someone else _may _or _may not _have feelings for me?"

"Pfft, no," Tracy mumbled. "Of course I'm not, why would I be- no I am most certainly _not _jealous!"

"I think you are," Ted whispered into her ear, causing her to get goosebumps. "I think you are jealous."

"I'm not jealous! Why would I be jealous of some young, blonde-bimbo, who sees you three days a week, and hits on you. Tell me Ted, why would I be jealous of her?"

"You tell me," Ted replied. "You're the one who's jealous."

"I'm not jealous!" She hissed. They reached the movie theatre, and Tracy pulled the tickets out of her bag, shooting a warning glance at Ted.

Nothing more was said as they bought a large popcorn and cola drink to share. Ted was still smirking, and every now and then, when she caught his eye, she would give him a hard glare.

She wasn't jealous. This wasn't jealousy, was it? She was just.. okay, she didn't know what she was, but she wasn't jealous.

They sat down in the movie theatre, and the movie started, yet Tracy couldn't concentrate. All she could think about Kayleigh and Ted. The flirting, the longing glances, the time alone..

The whole audience burst into laughter, including Ted, and it shook Tracy from her thoughts. She glanced towards Ted, and at the same time he looked at her. He gave her a cheeky smile, before turning back towards the screen. After a few moments, he subconciously took her hand, and her thoughts of Kayleigh dissappeared.

Tracy opened the door to her apartment while balancing one of the bags holding chinese food on her other arm.

She carried it in, setting the bag down on the table, as Ted did, then wandered out into the kitchen to collect plates.

They ate in silence, Tracy pushing the food around with her fork, until finally she couldn't hold it in anymore.

"I'm jealous," she blurted out.

Ted looked at her strangely, so she decided to explain further.

"I'm jealous of the young blonde bimbo who sees you three times a week and hits on you."

"Why?" Ted asked, clearly amused.

"Err, because she's young, she's blonde, she sees you three times a week, and lastly, she hits on you."

Ted rolled his eyes. "For starters, you're young, se-"

"I'm nearly 29," she interrupted. "That's not _young."_

"Please, I turned 35 this year."

"But Kayleigh's 22!"

"She's actually 24, she just looks younger," Ted replied, without thinking, causing Tracy to send him a look.

"Sorry. Look, I don't want a _young blonde-bimbo. _I want a _young _brunette bass player who is beautiful and everything I have ever dreamed of."

"Bu-"

"No buts!" Ted warned.

"Fine," she mumbled. "I just don't like her."

"Well luckily for you, you don't work with her."

Tracy frowned. "But you do."

"So what, everyone has collegues, and I only see her when I enter the building and when I leave."

"I suppose."

"You shouldn't be jealous, you're a lot _hotter_ than her."

Tracy smiled. "I love you."

"I love you too, don't forget that."

He took her hand, and kissed it.

He was right, she didn't have anything to worry about.. did she?


End file.
